A common misperception about gun control

[benEzra]

13. Rifles account for about 5 murders a year, per state. Five.

"Decent, responsible people from coast to coast own guns. Whether for self-defense or sport shooting, they use their guns legally and safely.

In what civil society, though, is the private possession of assault weapons necessary?"

"Decent, responsible people from coast to coast own rifles with handgrips that stick out. Whether for self-defense or sport shooting, they use their rifles legally and safely.

In what civil society, then, is putting people in cages for owning protruding rifle handgrips necessary?"

FWIW, all rifles combined account for less than 270 murders annually, out of ~12,000. That's around five murders per year, per state. Many states have zero rifle homicides annually. And yet you want to outlaw the most popular non-automatic civilian rifles in U.S. homes. Just who is the fundamentalist, again?