In living memory, kids could take shooting classes in school with live ammo. Schools were not getting shot up. Guns were routinely seen in racks in pickups. Bars and malls were not getting shot up. You could order a gun and ammo from a catalog and have it shipped to your house, no questions asked. People were not afraid to hold a neighborhood BBQ.Who says it can't be both? And why do soft debators like you and PredFan pretend as if you don't know what is meant by it. I mean it's pretty fucking self explanatory guys. Assault rifle, a rifle used to assault someone. You pussies get bogged down on words because you don't really want to address the availability of firearms being the cause of why we have so many more shootings in comparison to the rest of the developed world.
What's changed? Not guns. They are less easily obtained today than back in the day yet more people are getting shot.