Why the ‘assault’ label?

I was disappointed to read the caption under the picture in the article about Poseidon Experience, “Alan Errichiello trains with an assault rifle … ” [March 23 IBJ]. By using the adjective “assault,” IBJ unwittingly ( … or purposefully?) perpetuates a myth about the AR-15-style firearm. I find it funny that IBJ doesn’t use the adjective to describe other inanimate objects, such as cars, trucks, baseball bats, kitchen knifes, machetes and rocks. The firearm pictured is a semi-automatic rifle. Plain and simple.
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Debra A. Skinner, Cicero