You don' t need an AK-47 to scare off robbers breaking into your house. I promise you that a shotgun, pistol or rifle would work just fine.
That' s a smidge overexaggerated. You need tons of paperwork to own shortbarreled rifles in the USA, no less automatic weapons of any kind. The average american isn' t walking around with even a handgun. We don' t go out for strolls in the park with fully-loaded Krinkovs in our jackets.
The thing is, no one is going to burst in to your house with an Uzi and shoot up the place for no reason. However, if that is your consern. Wouldn' t you want this asshole to have a pistol or a hunting rifle as opposed to an automatic weapon?
If somebody wants into your house to do you harm, they' re not going to worry about not being able to legally buy an automatic rifle. The majority of gun crimes in America are not carried out by persons with automatic rifles. The numbers are miniscule.
Yes, it' s possible to own automatic weapons in the US, but to do so requires you to go through multiple extensive background checks. If you have ever committed a felony, you' re not legally aquiring one, simple as that, thus taking out the, " how are these crazed lunatics getting guns?!" argument. If somebody goes ape sh17 with an automatic weapon they legally own, it will have been the first time they' ve done it.
The shooter at VT was using a 22. and a .45. Both handguns, both semi-automatic.
Columbine? A handful of high-capacity handguns, shotguns, a rifle & homemade pipe-bombs. All readily available in Canada. None of them were automatic.
Texas back in the 60' s? In one of the most gun friendly states, in a time where gun safety meant " ' ya got a permit kid?" . A handful of bolt-actions, semi-automatic rifles & pistols.
Restricting automatic weapons isn' t going to stop this kind of stuff.