I think the unauthorized sale concern is overblown, but do believe "assault weapons" are uniquely dangerous; this is a debate I've had on HN a number of times, and tends to start with a courtly dance of someone saying "that's because you don't know how firearms work" and the history of semi-automatic long guns, and end with ballistics reports and the machining simplicity of automatic sears.
I don't necessarily want to have that whole debate again, which I guess I could do by pressing the point, so much as to make space in this subthread for "maybe that one part of your strong comment is not as settled as you're making it out to be".
I don't necessarily want to have that whole debate again, which I guess I could do by pressing the point, so much as to make space in this subthread for "maybe that one part of your strong comment is not as settled as you're making it out to be".