The 223 is a legal deer round in Ga and many other states. It is as effective on smaller south eastern white tails as a 30-30.
Yes, it is. In the hands of someone that knows how to use it, .223 (in any type of gun, from the ranch rifle to a Model 700 to an AR-15 variant) is a good round. But for medium to large game, there are better choices.
Being ignorant, Durban doesn't understand that the AR-15 appeals to many for the same reason it appeals to the military:
Durban's (and anyone else's) rationalizations are nothing more than similar "value judgements".
A high-capacity magazine in any firearm has never made any difference in how many people a mass murderer can kill or injure, because the crimes have always been committed in an area where the victims could not easily flee and were disarmed so they couldn't fight back.