DT, I have something of a unique perspective rergarding this issue. Of course, my M16 went with me everywhere in I Corps. Also, part of my class content is about the 2nd amendment. Regarding my M16, it is almost impossible to hold that weapon on target as is discharges its rounds. Thus, someone who isn't trained to use one and who doesn't practice firing it almost every day is likely to shoot any number of people who happen to be in proximity to whatever target is being shot at. So, I doubt its practicality when it comes to defending oneself or anybody else. When it comes to the 2nd amendment, there's plenty of evidence that its drafters and ratifiers would not sanction Americans owning a bazooka or even an automatic weapon. The father of our Constitution James Madison as a member of the Virginia legislature even proposed a Virginia law that would have placed constraints on hunting weapons.