In America, the phrase "Assault weapon," has been used incredibly often to describe weapons that must be banned. However, from my experience, many misunderstand directly what this means, and how this is different from an automatic weapon (Which already enjoys a federal ban for civilian ownership without very exclusive and hard-to-obtain certificates.) In fact, many strangers that I have engaged in discussion with have erroneously supported it in the mistaken belief that it prevents civilians from owning weapons of war (Assault rifles with select fire capabtilities, explosives, and so on.)
I request that, as a responsible government, The Obama administration and other supporters of assault weapon bans explain the specific definition of assault weapons in a far reaching public forum.