Shootist43, I am not sure that I agree with you. I am really not clear on what the definition of an assault rifle is. However, if it is intended to denote a weapon used by infantry in war then a Mauser 98 is an assault rifle, a Brown Bess is an assault rifle, as are the more modern semi-automatic and select fire weapons. Our founding fathers, in crafting the second amendment, were certainly referencing the military weapons of their day, hence assault rifles, if the above definition is correct.
I suspect that the term 'assault rifle' is a fabrication of the media driven by a misunderstanding of what AR stands for.