Reply to Please gun supporters - explain to me once and for all why you need an automatic weapon

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So even an honest question gets disgusting answers.

We're doomed.[/quote]

Disgusting answers include pointing out that the question is invalid, as automatic weapons are illegal?[/quote]

Different poster here.  That's a valid answer, but still misses the point. Those semi-automatic rifles can still be fired quickly and are very powerful.  People who don't know the difference are CALLING them automatic weapons, but they MEAN semi-automatic rifles, and they seem to be the weapons of choice for those who want to kill a lot of people fast.[/quote]

So what was the point?  If the question is factually invalid, then no intelligent response can be provided.[/quote]

The point is you can correct the OP's facts and still address the actual intent of his question, which is:  Why do you need a semi-automatic rifle? [/quote]

Ah, so only now is the true issue revealed.  If that's the question, then the answer is simple.

There is no need to justify any exercise of one's 2nd Amendment rights.  [/quote]

That's not an answer.  Your rights are one thing.  The specific manner in which you choose (or are allowed to) exercise your rights are another.  If you say, "I need a semi-automatic rifle so I can shoot a lot of people at a bar," this would not be a legitimate exercise of your second amendment rights.  If you say, "I need a a semi-automatic rifle because I need to target practice," that would be a better answer, but still not a good answer because you'd be describing a want rather than a need.  So the question remains: Why do you NEED a semi-automatic rifle?[/quote]

NP here.  I think that your analysis is flawed.  It's akin to asking someone why they "need" a website to exercise first amendment rights when they have a pen and paper, in furtherance of an argument that the government should ban websites based on content of speech.
[/quote]
Certain content is in fact banned.  You can't yell fire in a crowded theater and you can't set up a website that provides detail planning for overthrow of the US Government.  You also can't buy a fully automatic weapon.  Maybe you can come up with a legitimate need for one, but so far the courts have not overturned that ban.

Until 2004, there was a ban on semi-automatic rifles.  It was not overturned by the courts, it expired.  That ban could be reinstated, and if it were, there would certainly be a discussion about why you would need such a weapon.  Until Scalia died, the Supreme Court would have certainly overturned it.  If Clinton is elected and gets a democratic congress too, that ban could come back for good.[/quote]

I'm afraid that you're mistaken re: the law that expired in 2004:  it did not ban semi-automatic rifles (which have been used for hunting, etc., since the late 19th century).  The law that expired in 2004 banned a narrow subset of semi-auto weapons, which is why it was widely derided--in effect, it banned "scary-looking" guns, while allowing ownership of functionally similar guns.

Your revised first amendment analogy is getting more compelling now that you've moved away from the "need" framework.  I agree that the widely recognized "public safety" limitations to the first amendment serve as a model for reasonable additional regulation on firearms.  However, a ban on all semi-automatic weapons is a non-starter--they simply have too many legitimate applications.

IMO, people seriously interested in meaningful gun control ought focus on background checks for all transfers, criminal liability for negligent transfer/storage, and similar measures designed to keep firearms out of the wrong hands.  
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