The term assault rifle actually had a very specific definition before the media got a hold of it. The main thing, the thing that sets an AR you could buy at Wal-Mart from a military assault rifle is the military weapon is select fire. If it isn't select fire it isn't an assualt rifle. It isn't an M16 or an M4. All of those weapons are select fire. A civilian AR is not. The bottom line is the media took something that was not an assualt rifle, labeled it as such and for you Bad Writer, that was apparently enough to make it something different.
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.