The joke is both Bush and Kerry have decided to allow the ban to slip away without renewal. Whoever America votes for, assault weapons are going to be made available to the masses...

Kerry has just attacked Bush over the above:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3644044.stm

*shakes head*

Automatic weapons fire ammo at a faster rate, forcing the consumer to buy more ammo, which helps the economy. If you've ever fired one, you'd know what I mean... $10 down the drain in seconds.

You also may not be aware of the pitiful state of marksmanship here in the US. Without a fully automatic rifle, your typical firearm user can't hit anything.

In some ways, the de-banning doesn't go far enough. When I think I hear an intruder in my home, I don't want to soften up the room with 50 rounds from an AR-15... I want to use a flash-bang or fragmentation grenade, or at least drop some tear gas.

Alas, I live in Massachusetts where things like nunchucks are illegal. You need a license for an air pellet gun in this state. A few years ago a case of road rage ended in a crossbow fatality... the owner claimed it "just went off."

As far as protection goes, shortly after 9/11 the popularity of nylon tactical knives (also illegal in MA) zoomed up, as folks carried these quite good and completely non-metallic killing knives through airport checkpoints so that they'd be able to defend themselves in case of hijacking...

Well fully automatic weapons are still banned under a seperate law (I know this one from Paintball because paintball 'gun' makers had to get them classified as 'markers' and not guns). One that does not expire. The one that is lapsing is a law that prohibits certian brand name guns from being sold since they were avialable in semi auto also. With the right two pieces one could transfer it from semi to full auto pretty easily.

Also in the state of Missouri (and most other states as well I assume) there are already state level laws making several of those illegal in their borders.