In the interest of clarity:

In my recent post on this thread, I did not answer the OP question by giving reasons why I owned an AR-15. By the way, the AR-15 is not an assault rifle, as it lacks the full auto capability.

The OP asked "Why do folks want/need a AK47 assault rifle"?

Very few AK-47 were manufactured (from 1948 to 1952). The gun Ray refers to is most likely the AKM, plentiful in world conflicts, but not a favorite of US gun owners.

I do not own an AK-47, AKM rifle, or newer AK version. The AK is a rather ugly rifle, not very accurate, has a limited range (a third of what the AR-15 can do), and cursed by a horrible trigger... but it's cheap, incredibly reliable, and very easy to fix if it eventually malfunctions.

I don't think AK rifles have been used in a mass shooting in the USA, not I can recall anyway.