No even close to being the first assault weapon.
Also, if I remember correctly, the M2 was an automatic weapon, and you would need a machine gun permit to own one.
It is a far cry from your standard GI issued M1.
The M2 is pretty wimpy compared to the M1, speaking in terms of kinetic energy delivered to the target.
It preceded the German Sturhmgeher. Name your candidate then.
I’m just going by what gun authority Patrick SWeeney wrote in his seminal book on fully automatic weapons.
It was the first selective fire, intermediate cartridge, military rifle in the world that satisfied the definition of an “assault rifle.”