The difference between semi-automatic weapons and automatic weapons is what happens when you pull the trigger . On automatic weapons, the trigger has to be pulled and held only once to fire off several rounds. Sales of semiautomatic, or assault weapons, are legal in most states, including NevadaBut just because the gunfire sounded automatic doesn't necessarily mean that Paddock used automatic weapons. It's possible Paddock took the semi-automatic weapons he was known to have bought legally and used special tools to convert them to automatic weapons, Rabadi said. Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Tuesday that he can't say "whether any of (the weapons used) are automatic or not.

Source: CNN October 03, 2017 19:01 UTC