I'm pleased to hear that.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
But it isn't quite the point I was trying to make. In fact, you add an exclamation point to the one I was. Namely, just how similar to combat weapons these things actually are. To the point where additional modifications had to be made so folks couldn't make them exactly like combat weapons.
Part of this is just common sense. Guns are designed for killing. That is why they were invented. Different guns were designed for killing different things. These guns are designed specifically for killing people. After many iterations of combat weaponry, they have become more and more efficient at doing that, to the point where one gun can kill many, many people, as quickly as possible and without jamming, overheating, or needing reloading. And when that is necessary, to do so as easily and quickly as possible, so one can continue to kill more people.
So, unless a civilian has a need to kill many many people in a short period of time, there is no reason for them to have one. At least, not one that outweighs society's interest in keeping them from doing so.
Some of the salient facts of the recent mass shooting are telling. We know this guy knew his weaponry. By some reports I have read, he was a frequent visitor of local firing ranges. When he left the house, he took the four weapons that would most efficiently kill people. He left the hunting rifles at home. When he arrived at the school, he left the shotgun in the trunk of his car and took the three most destructive and efficient weapons. When he shot his way into the school, he used the single most efficient killing machine in his possession... the AR-15. Exclusively. Until he finally shot himself with a pistol.
