Just because, you know, a reporter would never want to appear stupid or biased when covering a story that involves an evil gun.
https://journalistsresource.org/tip-sheets/reporting/gun-policy-reporting-tips/
Tip #3: Have some knowledge of guns, too – the different kinds, and how they work.
“This is the kind of thing that drives the gun owner group crazy, when they think that a reporter is writing about their issue with their guns and doesn’t understand the basic facts about how they work,” Vernick said. For example, Vernick stressed the difference between assault weapons, which are semi-automatic, and machine guns or fully automatic weapons.
https://journalistsresource.org/tip-sheets/reporting/gun-policy-reporting-tips/