The problem is and I've said this a million times THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ASSAULT WEAPON!
The AR-15 is a single fire (semi-automatic) version of the military M16 (select fire). Under the 1986 firearms act possession of an M16 without a Class 3 license is a FELONY.
The AK-47 in it's original format was a fully automatic (select fire) weapon. The same thing applies to it.
Anyone who thinks that the average Joe can go to a gun store and get a fully auto rifle or SBR (short battle rifle) is saddly mistaken.
Private Citizens can own fully auto weapons legally.... If they are FILTHY rich. They have to submit to a FBI and ATF background investigation (not a check a full investigation) to be allowed to pay the $200 ATF tax. Once that is paid and you have all the paperwork completed (I've heard several forests die for each legal full auto sold) then you shuck out no less than $10,000 for a USED .. yes USED fully auto weapon.
To be a legal class three weapon it must ..
1. have been produced prior to 1986
2. have never been used in a crime.
3. have been registered as class there by EVERY prior owner since 1986.
4. always have it's class 3 paper work with it (ALWAYS!)
The number of legal full auto AK-47's and M16's available to private citiens is lower than that of existing Rembrant paintings and the price tag starts at $30,000 for a busted one, then you have to repair it.
The media loves to hype the number of 'assault weapons' out there. What they are doing is clumping semi-auto AR-15's and AK-47's in to the same class as fully auto AR-15's and AK-47's, while the later is functionally no different than a Remington hunting rifle, the ones with cool names just look better.
If, on those stupidly rare occasions, a criminal is found with a fully auto weapon he or she usually 1. stole it from a cop (62% of all illegal weapons were obtained this way) 2. stole it from a private owner (.5%) 3. purchased it illegally from a street dealer (15%) or 4. got it from overseas (22%.)
Oddly the COPS are the biggest problem with illegally owned firearms yet I don't hear anyone disarm the cops because they're too stupid to own guns.
-RT76