If criminals will always be able to get semi automatic weapons

[dsc]

then why don't they now have automatic weapons? After all if bans are ineffective, then why is the ban on automatic weapons effective?

[drm604]

1. Good point!

[dipsydoodle]

2. The ability of criminals to get hold of guns of any type

is a red herring.

[rrneck]

3. Nobody really needed them before they were regulated.

If people were buying a million of them a month everybody would have one today.

[dsc]

4. they were regulated because the mob had them

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. I thought the Mob had Tommy Guns

But, you know, I don't think criminals use their guns to do mass killings.

They use them to rob banks or whatever or to wipe out each other. At least that's the way it is around here. I think some of the gang members might have assault rifles but they do have some rules. Drug dealers might have them to protect themselves.

Those people live in a really violent society but they don't break into schools and kill little kids. They just get one or two at a time when a kid gets in the way of a drive-by shooting. Their violence is awful for those that are trapped in it but at least it makes some kind of sense.

[HooptieWagon]

8. That is true.

Most criminals chose handguns because they're easily concealed in a pocket or under a car seat. Sometimes a gang uses a semi-auto rifle for a drive-by shooting. Automatic weapons beyond finances...cops rarely pick up a criminal with an AK47 or Uzi.
And the criminals usually shoot each other, or rob easy targets like 7-11s, liquor stores, and cab drivers. Banks are tougher because of alarms, bullet-proof glass, and exploding dye-packs. Most bank robbers get caught. But they're usually a little older, while street thugs tend to be young males who are rather stupid.
4 friends of mine were sitting at a cafe-style outdoor table at a bar near closing, just after 2am. Young guy comes walking down sidewalk towards them, pulling ski mask over his head as he got near. My friends are like WTF, this guy is going to rob us. As he stopped at table, he was fumbling for his gun, which was tangled and caught in his jacket pocket. So my friends jumped him, took away his gun, beat him up a bit, and restrained him until cops showed up. As it turned out, robber was high at the time, had crack cocaine in his pocket, and had only been out of prison a few weeks from previous drug and gun-related crimes. He's doing life now. Psychopaths and similar "smart" criminals are rather rare...most of them are as dumb as stumps.

[jody]

6. It's not polite to ask the anti-RKBA crowd such questions. nt

[HooptieWagon]

7. They have handguns.

Pretty difficult to carry a rifle in your pocket.