Man arrested for 2x4 labeled "High Powered Rifle"
Bear in mind I'm responding to what I'm told Americans want.
I'm for controlling ALL guns. Preferably, like the UK, an almost complete ban that keeps the guns out of everyone's hands (by and large) and means that murder and death isn't as easy as just pulling a trigger.
Any self defence or robbery crimes don't descend into gun fights because no one has a gun.
I think, when all's said and done that route leads to less murder, less gun deaths, less lethal suicides, less children crippled in drive buys etc etc.
Build a lawful society from the bottom up and you reduce the need for deadly self defence.
Seeing as the US has a gun problem that is so far gone a ban is unrealistic I'm looking at ways of controlling guns while still allowing legit users their right to have a gun of some sort.
That's what you've been stressing all along. There are legit reasons to own a gun and legit owners shouldn't be punished because of people that use them to kill.
They are tools and it's silly to ban a tool.
If you want to hunt get a proper hunting rifle that is more likely to help with accuracy and a clean kill.
You want to shoot clay pigeons or target get a shotgun or target rifle.
You want to defend your home or person get a hand gun.
For me something like an AK falls outside having a legit use and therefore doesn't fit into the above paradigm.
So then we get onto the REAL reason some Americans want guns available.
They LOVE 'em. They are "fun".
And that's a different point or argument from the "guns are tools and have utility" which has been used here for the last few weeks.
I would support compulsory licencing and chipping of all dogs, some form of training before you can own one, yearly checks that update your status as a dog owner, higher sentences for dogs out of control and that attacks, lifetime bans etc etc.
If pro dog people then stressed that dogs are tools and had "utility" I'd then be looking at what breeds we really needed.
For me the crunch point is handguns. I was merely commenting on the AK because it goes against the "utility" argument already put forward.
Handguns kill the most people but are also what would be most likely used in SD.
As you say AK's and such aren't the problem. I wouldn't allow their ownership myself but that's not the main point.