The misinformation in this thread is staggering beyond belief. It saddens me that the vast majority of you have never owned a firearm, fired one or even seen one asides from a governmental employee owning one i.e. a cop.
Let's begin with the basics.
1) Owning fully automatic weapons manufactured after May 19, 1986 is illegal except under strict license. This is enforced by the federal government, not state law. Some states have placed laws furthering the federal ban by adding that you cannot purchase a 'grandfathered' weapon.
Further more, to obtain such a weapon LEGALLY you must go through a federal background check whixh also reaches the ATF if I recall correctly. The cheapest I have seen these legal fully automatic weapons go for is clocked at six figures. i.e. you most likely need to sell your house, your car and several of your worldly possessions in order to obtain a legal machinegun.
Machine gun for dummies: If the gun can fire more than one bullet per press of the trigger it is classified as a machinegun and you most likely cannot own it legally. The M16 is a machinegun. The AR-15 is not. I like to use car chassis as examples. A 1970 Trans Am does not make it a Camero.
You really need to do more digging into these laws because to someone educated you appear arrogant and are lumped in with the know nothing politicians. You don't want that.
2) Otherwise modifying a firearm to enable it to fire like or as a machine gun is illegal. There have been several patented items that have been banned for sale in the US due to this.
A bump stock doesn't enable a rifle to fire fully automatic, but 'like' a machinegun. You can achieve the same effect with your belt loop or a band of rubber. This isn't new, it's a technique that people have developed or learnt for fun or other. Do not interpret 'fun' as shooting people, that is why I put 'other'. I don't condone shooting people unless warranted i.e. a bank robber.
3) This is perhaps the most obvious to me but people really seem to forget. . .
Drugs. Guns. They both often go together and have a hot, dirty relationship. The US makes up about less than or equal to 5% of the entire global population but consume the vast majority of the globe's controlled substances.
Here's a report on addiction. The US also
consumes at or above 80% of the world's opioids.
This isn't new. The US uses more drugs than anyone else and with drugs, come gangs and with gangs come guns. They can't exactly call the police when they get ripped off, now can rhey?
Because of this fact it isn't difficult to see why there is a large problem in this field. The US has roughly 33,000 ACTIVE gangs at last cound by the FBI. The US simply has more criminals to deal with on a regular basis than say,
Finland.
4) Gun related deaths. Gun related deaths also includes acts of suicide. Several media personalities like to omit this fact. This tactic is usually used as a smoke screen to clamour over how many people are killed each year wirh guns. Suicides, in my opinion, shouldn't count as such and should instead be added to the traditional suicide statistical analysis i.e. X amount of suicides with drugs, hangings, etc.
80% of the US gun related homicides are
gang related. Should I need to explain why gun control wouldn't work in this scenario? Perhaps we should just cut out the middle man and just make murder against the law? Oh. . . wait. . .
4) Defensive gun use. Guns are used to save far more lives than they take in the US. Defensive gun use, or DGU, is roughly 70,000 to 80,000 based on the most conservative estimates, but can range from 750,000 to 2.1M by most institutions. DGU is a result in which killing, disabling, brandishing or scaring off an attacker preserves the would be victim's person(s) or property.
There were 33,000 gun deaths in the US in 2013.
Keep in mind: Suicides are included in this. 80% of all gun related homicides are gang or drug related.
Food for thought.
A question: are you against the police killing innocent or unarmed victims? If so then why do you want them to be the only people with guns?
Also, the 2nd Amendment applies to deck guns (cannons) so that's a thing. This fact basically negates the 'only muskets' argument.
The 2nd amendment is designed to enable you to defend yourself and your home.
The Police are not obligated to save your life.
If you live in a country that isn't the US, where crime is minimal, good for you, but if you don't live here in the US please, with all sincerity: shut the fuck up, you don't live here.
I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate one such as myself impressing our rule of law on your country, like your strict
food safety laws (insert very sarcastic *ugh* of disgust here).
We've had the 2nd Amendment for over 200 years and guess what? Still kickin'.