Why Americans like rapid firing rifles so much? Because of personal defense or fear of tyranny?

All firearms are dangerous. Even the little ones in the glove box.

Last I checked, the murder rate in London now exceeds the murder rate in New York City. Violence has less to do with firearms and everything to do with hate and the rhetoric that promotes violence.

[quote]Seriously, if you offered us your country, we wouldn't want it.[/quote]

I was a frequent visitor to England probably before you were born. My impression was that the people there were very accommodating, pleasant and respectful.

Apparently that has all changed.

As if we care what you think.

Here in the UK, there isn't really the gun culture that you have in America. Personally, I have never even held a real gun, let alone fired one and I really have no desire to own one. Even the thought of just holding such a deadly weapon is terrifying to me, which makes me a bit of a wimp, I know.

Having said that though, I can quite understand the argument for gun ownership. If you prevent law abiding people from owning guns, the only people who will have them will be criminals. Criminals don't care if the law says they are not allowed to own a gun. It makes good sense that law abiding people should be able to own guns in order defend themselves. With some of the recent shootings, lives could have been saved if someone had been armed and was able to take out the shooter.

As far as the possibility of a tyrannical government rising, it would be far more difficult for that tyrannical government to control people when they are armed.

"When the constitution was written, guns were primitive compared to today."

That wouldn't change the need to own guns for defense purposes. Surely, it could be argued that the need would only increase with more advanced guns. You would need to match your weaponry to that which is owned by the bad guys.

The year is 2018, not 1818.

There are those who own a weapon, and that would be a single weapon, typically a hand gun. They don't brag about it, they don't take out on date nights, and they don't masturbate with its image in mind. This group is not typically made up of fanatics, and while their fears are somewhat unrealistic, they are understandable.

There's another group of Americans, who fantasize about guns, collect them, caress them, polish them, and join the NRA, to make sure their fantasies are not interrupted.

I'm sure there are a few people who fill the gap in between these two groups.

Bottom line, is that there's no way to rationalize this, especially given our polarized state of affairs.

Baaaah your all goofy .
I own several weapons ( note i have one that can engage your helicopter at 1.5 miles ) .
I own them because i can and i like them . period .
Not do to some conspiracy theory.

Because we can mow down more whiny ass liberals before we have to reload.

Just to aid your terminology, you’re asking why Americans like fully automatic rifles. Fully automatic means rapid-fire.

I think they should be legal, simply because I haven’t found a reason to believe otherwise. The arguments against it just don’t hold up. Do I, personally, care for a fully automatic rifle? No. But that doesn’t mean I think no one else should have one.

Using them against the government when the government has nuclear weapons would likely be futile.

Ask the parents in Alaska if they need a semi-automatic firearm to protect their families.

Guns are a part of America, if you don’t want one you are free not to buy one.

Guns are fun.

Eat dirt