Afx: Make it simple. Owning guns is analogous to owning cars. Does someone need a Ferrari Enzo? Nope. Hard to make that argument, especially given that an Enzo can go 180mph and the max speed limit is generally 70mph. Should we then outlaw Ferrari Enzos? Nope.
Why? Because if someone owns an Enzo and behaves responsibly, it’s a non-issue.
I’m personally not big on owning fully automatic weapons, but some people are. If they own them and behave responsibly, end of story.
Where I have a problem is the government’s use of hysterical MSM stories about the evils of guns to “create” a mandate for restricting gun ownership. If someone wants an M-16 and uses it responsibly, then it’s none of the government’s business. Period.
You don’t see the government outlawing cars because drunk drivers kill people whilst behind the wheel, do you? Nope. They hold the individual drunk drivers accountable for their actions and punish them accordingly. Similarly, if someone uses a gun in the commission of a crime, punish the gun owner accordingly. Don’t bootstrap that crime up into a “mandate” for taking guns away from the rest of us.
Speaking of mortars: I knew a guy when I was a kid who had painstakingly restored a French 75mm field gun. He would bring it out on Saturdays to this open field and folks would bring out old appliances, like refrigerators, and he would blow them up for a small donation. It was very cool. He did this for years, before zoning and old age finally put him out of business, and there was never a single accident or injury. Go figure.