“Please tell me who needs an assault weapon other than our military?????? i just do not understand anyone buying one for any good reason other than assault of some horrible kind. i am 71, each day i am more troubled about the world and the direction it’s going in.”

By the numbers, then:

1) The types of weapons which cynical lawmakers now seek to ban are NOT assault weapons, which by definition are medium-caliber short carbines that will fire full-auto. “Civilian” (non-police) possession of such true assault weapons as the M-16, the AK-47, or the 1942 Fallschirmjagergewehr (the original assault weapon; I’d love to own one; a licensed dealer tells me I’d pay $40,000 to $50,000 even if one could be found) is heavily restricted.