[Myrddin]

I have a class III FFL in town. He has a very nice M16 in stock. $12,000. Full auto. I could purchase it if I really cared that much about owning it. It doesn't do a thing for me. Getting an SBR for my T/C Encore frame would be heavenly. It would make shooting the .308 and 460 S&W 15" barrels much more pleasant. It's just easier to buy the rifle barrel. I purchased a 28" 30-06 barrel. I'm waiting for the weather to improve so I can take it to the range. We have snow coming tonight. The high on Friday will be 8 above, the low between -7 and -2. Not good weather for the range.

[untrained skeptic]

It is still possible to buy full auto weapons as long as your state laws allow it, the head law enforcement agent in your area signs off on you purchasing it, and your pay the $200 transfer tax. You also have to find one manufactured before 1986.

How does that stack up against "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed"?

The constitution is not something that can be changed by reinterpretation or by mere legislation. It must be amended to change it.

While the types of arms we are talking about may not have existed at the time the 2nd amendment was ratified, the constitution and it's meaning have not changed. The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

The only reason I would desire an automatic weapon is as a curio. I might be interested in owning a weapon capable of short bursts (3 rounds), but a fully automatic weapon just doesn't seem very effective to me, unless it's mounted on a tripod or something else to make the recoil manageable.

A hand held fully auto weapon is just a way to waste ammo.

However, that doesn't mean I think the government has the authority to ban them without first amending the constitution.