It really is just a style, because there is no such thing as an "Assault weapon". It's pretty much like saying "We want stop investing in or ban certain guns because they look SCARY." Seriously, I'm guessing you could take a gun that worked the same way as an AR-15 and shot the caliber ammo, but designed it to look like a hunting rifle with burnished wood instead of black metal and some nice carvings of deer and ducks in the stock and most democrats would not have a problem with it at all, because now it not a "weapon of war" it's just a nice hunting rifle like grandaddy use to have above his fireplace.
You just described the Ruger mini-14, ranch model.
Kinda like a Mini 14?
A bow and arrow is an assault weapon.
And a cross bow? A terrifying assault weapon.
And what is the difference between a butcher knife and a bayonet?
The Brits can’t figure that one out.