PDQ's obtuseness is quite mind-boggling. At 09.11 Raedwulf writes: "I'm not suggesting banning all guns." At 09.39 PDQ writes: "I have not heard from a single Brit who respects our (US) right to own firearms." How can you have any kind of rational discussion with a mentality like that? Also, as has been pointed out, this is a discussion about American law and policy. Who cares whether Brits and Canadians support Americans' right to own firearms? (Not that we don't have a right to express our opinions!)

He does raise one point worth considering, though. Automatic weapons are a red herring. They are already prohibited. The real issue is what should be done about semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. The first service rifle that I trained with was the 7.62 mm FN. It was semi-automatic, although if you knew how it could easily be converted to full auto. (This was strictly forbidden.) It had only one purpose. The only significant difference between this rifle and Adam Lanza's was the calibre of the ammunition. Does PDQ seriously want to argue that U.S. law guarantees him the right to own this kind of weapon?