Merriam-Webster Redefines ‘Assault Rifle’ After Parkland Shooting

Merriam-Webster has changed the definition of the term "assault rifle" in the wake of February's Parkland, Florida shooting.

The Federalist pointed out the change to the dictionary's entry on "assault rifle," which was last updated on March 31.

An "assault rifle" is now defined as "any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire; also: a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle, but is designed to allow only semiautomatic fire."

According to The Federalist, the definition was previously less specific. A cached version of the entry from June 13, 2016 reads, "any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use."

Meanwhile, Random House's Dictionary.com has a different definition. Its entry lists two definitions for "assault rifle." The first reads, "a military rifle capable of both automatic and semiautomatic fire, utilizing an intermediate-power cartridge." The second definition is, "a nonmilitary weapon modeled on the military assault rifle, usually modified to allow only semiautomatic fire."

The change came after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz killed 14 students and three teachers.

Cruz used a legally-obtained AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle, leading to a debate over assault weapons. So far, the biggest legislative result from the shooting has been Florida Gov. Rick Scott's decision to sign a bill to raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm in the state from 18 to 21.

Others have argued for a return of the federal 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004, although with some updated changes.

Individual starts have also instituted assault weapons bans. This week, Massachusetts' ban was upheld by a federal judge, who ruled it does not violate the Second Amendment.

"The AR-15 and its analogs, along with large capacity magazines, are simply not weapons within the original meaning of the individual constitutional right to 'bear arms,'" U.S. District Judge William Young wrote Thursday, reports Bloomberg.

According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, other states with assault weapons bans are California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

Hawaii has a ban on assault pistols only, while Minnesota and Virginia have regulations on assault weapons, but do not ban them. Washington, D.C. also has an assault weapons ban.

Maryland's law was challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court last fall, but the court left a lower court ruling intact, upholding the ban.