For starters, it's our Right as Americans and Free men and women. One could also ask: why should anyone own a copying machine? The principle is the same.
Aren't these clearly weapons of war?
In the initial Supreme Court ruling on guns (US vs Miller in 1933) the basis of the ruling was that the gov't could regulate certain guns only if they weren't weapons of war. At least the understood the 2nd amendment better than most today, but they will still wrong in their ruling that ANY guns could be so regulated.
Anyway, the whole point of the second amendment is to ensure that the American people DO posses "weapons of war".
Aren't they also used only against people? Isn't this overkill? (literally)
No. Millions of Americans use them to target shoot or teach others how to shoot. The only way I could ever envision them being used against people is to defend the Constitution against all her enemies.
The question you should be asking is: "what are the politicians planning to do to us that is so bad that they don't want us to have rifles around?"
Four students shot, one killed, at New Orleans high school
O2
It may come as a surprise to you but there are some people who are very conservative, yet know nothing about guns. While I support the right to bear arms, I would vote for a ban on assault weapons.....unless someone takes the time to educate me in simple terms. Example...I didn't know that a rifle was an assault weapon.