One reason NRA and gun lobby NEED to assault weapons: decline of hunting
I heard someone discussing this on the radio this morning. Hunting is declining pretty sharply in America, which makes sense when you combine urbanization with computer culture.
So if gun companies just manufacture hunting rifles and shotguns, that's a recipe for extinction.
The growth market is military style weapons for killing lots of people and handguns for the armchair heroes who think they are going to shoot a burglar or mugger (but are really going to shoot their wife or kid or their own nuts).
If the issue could be framed this way in public discussions, the gun industry suddenly looks a lot more irresponsible and weaker, and if we have learned anything in the last decade or so, politicians can be very brave when it comes to kicking the weak.
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