A serious question about gun control- Isn't it too late?

[riqster]

69. Das ding an sich is a weak argument

("The thing in itself" for all who haven't heard that phrase.)

There are responsible penis owners, too. Responsible chainsaw owners. Responsible butcher-knife owners.

Things in themselves are neither good nor bad. However, some lend themselves more easily than others to uses beneficial or destructive, and to different degrees.

I suggest that the AR-15 is popular because of the recoil - it has very little. It is a fine weapon for close-quarters combat and any sort of "spray and pray" situation. Killing people, in other words. So it is well- suited for destruction, but pretty useless for anything else.

If someone owns a battle rifle, they are buying a gun that is suited for battle. That alone is not bad per se, but does not make it, in itself, a benign object.

Of course, the owner/operator of any thing is the primary determiner of how that thing will be used,