[newsgatherer]

I guess what I'm trying to ask is: how and why do we decide which arms are and aren't allowed under the 2nd Amendment?

A 1938 or 39 Supreme Court Case declared that weapons of the Militia are weapons common to the one carrried and used in the military.

So, in answer to your question, the weapons that are covered by the 2nd are the ones commonly carried by oyur US Military troops today, this would include all of the so called 'assault weapons'.

[Jim Verdolini]

“I guess what I'm trying to ask is: how and why do we decide which arms are and aren't allowed under the 2nd Amendment?
A 1938 or 39 Supreme Court Case declared that weapons of the Militia are weapons common to the one carrried and used in the military.
So, in answer to your question, the weapons that are covered by the 2nd are the ones commonly carried by oyur US Military troops today, this would include all of the so called 'assault weapons'.”

Again exactly right, based on the opinions of the court and what the founders actually said.

[El Gato]

So, in answer to your question, the weapons that are covered by the 2nd are the ones commonly carried by oyur US Military troops today, this would include all of the so called 'assault weapons'.

Actually not. No weapon covered by the the Assault Weapons Ban is standard issue in our, or likely any other, military. They were all semi-automatic weapons. The military issues full-auto and/or burst fire weapons, which can also fire semi-automatically if desired.