So my 3rd-grade son asked me if there are any crazy people with guns near us.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

13. Um

What is even sadder is that what you told him about living in a "very safe area" is likely exactly what those parents in CT thought about where they lived.

So long as assault weapons are legal, no area is safe...

Those two statements are unrelated as Lanza used hundguns. Hasan used handguns, as did Cho and Loughner. Holmes started to use a semi-automatic rifle but the high-capacity 100-round magazine jammed (ironic, really) so he switched to a shotgun. Klebold and Harris obtained their weapons during the height of the AWB but they were minors so it was illegal for them to own any gun regardless of type.

The one thing all of these killers did have in common was that they were seen by others as being potential threats. These events seldom manifest spontaneously. If the authorities will not act in such cases I see no reason to criminalize tens of millions of good people while ignoring those who are actually dangerous. They should use the tools they have before asking for more Patriot Act-like power to invade people's lives without probable cause or due process.

Frankly, I see no need for any gun whatsoever in urban areas except for law enforcement purposes.

Self-defense *is* law enforcement; and no, I'm not referring to vigilantes but people actually confronted by immediate threats to their lives.

Hunters certainly do not need assault weapons

Why wouldn't a hunter want a semi-automatic rifle? I'm too squeamish to hunt but semi-automatic rifles are popular amongst hunters who to pride in the skill aspect of the "sport." Frankly, I never understood why golfers need all those different clubs to be lugged around in a clumsy bag but apparently those who engage in the sport understand these things in ways outsiders do not appreciate.

And semi-automatic rifles with 30-round magazines seem to be a field experience-based practical choice in defense situations because the police use them. The police also have back-up, body armor and a high-tech communication network to coordinate their response -- in addition to their semi-autos. If they have all that just to get an edge on a single shooter and guarantee their own safety then it seems to make sense that it would not be impractical for a private person to use a semi-auto rifle for defense as well.