Associated Press Advises Journalists to Quit Using ‘Highly Politicized Terms’ Like ‘Assault Weapon’

The Associated Press announced an update to its stylebook Wednesday, advising journalists to quit using phrases like “assault rifle” or “assault weapon.”

The AP tweeted the update, noting, “The preferred term for a rifle that fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, and automatically reloads for a subsequent shot, is a semi-automatic rifle. An automatic rifle continuously fires rounds if the trigger is depressed and until its ammunition is exhausted.”

The update continues: “Avoid assault rifle and assault weapon, which are highly politicized terms that generally refer to AR- or AK-style rifles designed for the civilian market, but convey very little meaning about the actual function of the weapon.”

The Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb responded to the AP’s focus on changing terminology on semiautomatic rifles, saying, “It’s about time the media realized the terms ‘assault rifle’ and ‘assault weapon’ are inflammatory and meaningless. Those terms have become part of the gun prohibition lobby’s lexicon, and unfortunately, journalists across the country have been all-too-willing to adopt their vocabulary and repeatedly use it in their reports.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.