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M-60 Machine Gun = Assault weapon

M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) = Assault weapon

M-16 = Personal Rifle

Unless you are a member of the uniformed armed services, you should not be allowed to have possesion of the top 2. They are not precision weapons but weapons used to kill by utilizing overwhelming fire. That is why we have armies.

Any citizen of the United States should be allowed to own the bottom weapon (subject to some common sense restrictions, convicted violent felons, etc...). It is a precision weapon, even with full auto capabilities available.

Just my personal opinion.

Unless you are a member of the uniformed armed services, you should not be allowed to have possesion of the top 2. They are not precision weapons but weapons used to kill by utilizing overwhelming fire. That is why we have armies.

Any citizen of the United States should be allowed to own the bottom weapon (subject to some common sense restrictions, convicted violent felons, etc...). It is a precision weapon, even with full auto capabilities available.

"Allowed?"

My friend, you seriously lack a critical bit of understanding about the meaning of the Constitution. This nation was founded on the principle that all POWER and all RIGHTS are inherent in the soverign individual citizen. For the purposes of effective government, in order to allow it to achieve its purpose of SAFEGUARDING THE RIGHTS of the individual citizen, we DELEGATED some specific powers to the Federal government.

If the government has the power to purchase a SAW or a door gun, then BY DEFINITION, the individual citizen from whom that power derives also has that power, and that right.

Among those powers delegated WAS NOT the power to dictate which firearms are and are not to be "allowed" to the citizens. "Shall not be infringed" -- ring any bells?

We don't live in a monarchy, where our rights and freedoms are subject to the whims of some bureaucrat or jittery king.

And indeed, if you've got the dough, you can buy yourself an Apache helicopter complete with door gun, or your own private SAW, in Nevada and other states which still understand the meaning of the right to keep and bear arms.

"They are not precision weapons but weapons used to kill by utilizing overwhelming fire. That is why we have armies."

A belt fed machine gun is every bit as precision a weapon as an M16, probably more so because it is better stabilized by way of the mount or bipod. Functionally not much difference...cartridge may be larger, but it is legal for civilians to own a belt fed .223 based on the M16 lower, for example.

For purposes of personal self defense, a machine gun is not a good choice for many reasons. However, the intent of the 2nd amendment is the defense of the people against an overbearing government, and for this purpose, machine guns are useful. Hopefully, like many preparations we make for disasters in life, we will never use this particular insurance policy, but I rather it be there. That is why we have the militia, a separate and distinct entity from armed forces.