Quote:
Originally posted by hrdwareguy
There is no need for the government to prevent law abiding citizens from owning (fully) automatic weapons.
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I disagree. Fully automatic weapons are orders of magnitude more dangerous than semi-automatic or manual firearms, and as such deserve extra controls. Not banned from civilian ownership, but restricted. As it stands now it takes considerable effort to own a fully automatic weapon, and as a result you rarely see one used in crimes.
It's the same reason why people can't own explosives or rocket launchers without a license and a significant amount of paperwork.
Before people suggest that banning semi-automatic weapons would do the same, remember that the 1934 NFA was initiated before fully automatics were truly widespread. Banning semi-autos now would not help because there are already so many in circulation.