I dunno...Really can't make up my mind on it to be honest...
I don't think that we need assault rifles to kill deer. It's not like they're shooting back or anything, but then again, I enjoy an afternoon at range sometimes myself. For me, shooting a gun actually has a relaxing and calming effect. It's kind of a zen thing (anybody who's read Zen and the Art of Archery knows what I'm talking about.)
Then again, in the past two weeks I've dealt with one homicide (just this morning we had a man walk into the McDonalds where his ex-girlfriend works and shoot her while she was standing next to her husband) and a damn close one (girl got critically wounded by her boyfriend, who killed himself immediatly afterwards, during a minor domestic argument.) I think most people are sensible and responsible enough that they can be trusted with handguns and rifles, but unfortunately there's that 1/10 of one percent who have to screw it up for everybody else...
