Florida: Man shot dead at Edison Mall

[ellisonz]

52. Well riddle me this then...

1. How maneuverable would an AK or an AR-15 be in a narrow hallway. Should everyone just start buying MP5's and and Uzi's?

Also, nowhere in that article do I read that he ran out of ammunition. Could you please quote exactly where that is because I'm not seeing it. I think my source indicates quite well that "someone in your home is more likely to be shot and possibly killed than that the gun will be used to thwart a home invasion." The whole argument that more guns means more safety is ludicrous - where are all of these home invaders getting their guns and why is it a persistent sociological problem? They're illegally obtaining your guns and using them against you!

2. Home invasion resulting in gun theft:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=7944582
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2011/11/bay_city_man_gets_probation_in.html
http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/pearland-news/article/Police-Home-invasion-gun-theft-preceded-1650759.php
http://www.journal-news.com/news/crime/16-weapons-stolen-in-home-invasion-relative-arrested-512511.html
http://www.gazette.com/articles/three-128270-people-arrested.html

In many of these cases, the home is targeted precisely because the attackers want to steal weapons. Thus having a ludicrously large gun collection makes you a prime target. Home invasions are very rarely random attacks; these criminals are attacking with a purpose.

3. You're just making my point that these types of weapons are only common because they're legal for sale, without them, most people don't buy them - they still to my knowledge represent a small percentage of gun ownership with possession of handguns, shotguns, and hunting rifles being far more common historically. The Thompson sub-machine gun was not the weapon of choice before they were banned from sale in 1934: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act

The National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) defines a number of categories of regulated firearms. These weapons are collectively known as NFA firearms and include the following:

Machine guns—this includes any firearm which can fire more than 1 cartridge per trigger pull. Both continuous fully automatic fire and "burst fire" (i.e., firearms with a 3-round burst feature) are considered machine gun features. The weapon's receiver is by itself considered to be a regulated firearm.

Short-barreled rifles (SBRs)—this category includes any firearm with a buttstock and either a rifled barrel under 16" long or an overall length under 26". The overall length is measured with any folding or collapsing stocks in the extended position. The category also includes firearms which came from the factory with a buttstock that was later removed by a third party.

Short barreled shotguns (SBSs)—this category is defined similarly to SBRs, but the barrel must be at least 18" instead of 16", and the barrel must be a smoothbore. The minimum overall length limit remains 26".

Suppressors—this includes any portable device designed to muffle or disguise the report of a portable firearm. This category does not include non-portable devices, such as sound traps used by gunsmiths in their shops which are large and usually bolted to the floor.

Destructive Devices (DDs)—there are two broad classes of destructive devices:

Devices such as grenades, bombs, explosive missiles, poison gas weapons, etc.

Any non-sporting firearm with a bore over 0.50", such as a 40mm grenade launcher often used in conjunction with military rifles. (Many firearms with bores over 0.50", such as 12-gauge shotguns, are exempted from the law because they have been determined to have a "legitimate sporting use".)

Any Other Weapons (AOWs)—this is a broad "catch-all" category used to regulate any number of firearms which the BATFE under the NFA enforces registration and taxation. Examples include, among others:

1) Smooth-bore pistols 2) Pen guns and cane guns 3) A firearm with combinations smooth bore and rifle barrels 12 inches or more but less than 18 inches in length from which only a single shot can be made from either barrel. 4) Disguised firearms 5) Firearms that can be fired from within a wallet holster or a briefcase 6) A short-barreled shotgun which came from the factory with a pistol grip is categorized as an AOW rather than a Short Barrel Shotgun (SBS), because the Gun Control Act describes a shotgun as “…designed or redesigned to be fired from the shoulder…” 7) Handguns with a forward vertical grip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act

4. You just also made my point that not a single assault weapons ban has been ruled unconstitutional as a whole.

5. I'm sorry, I don't read libertarian magazines, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, and proud of it: http://www.thenation.com/blog/gun-insanity

Merry Christmas to you, may peace and goodwill prevail on Earth!