“"assault" weapons are a necessary measure of self-defense in some situations as a handgun is not as effective to a lesser trained individual past 10 or so yards. we are already required to have background checks and to take tests to ensure that we are competent to handle a firearm.”

I have a few issues with your argument (while it is clearly well-thought out and reasonable). You are correct, many people can find ways to acquire firearms illegally, one example of this being the 16 year old 2022 school shooter Ethan Crumbley. However, while I am not old enough to purchase a firearm and thus haven't gone through this process, I would hope or advocate for a large part of the testing to revolve around properly containing the weapon in a locked safe or drawer. As for your argument about the effectiveness of a handgun at increasing distances, I would argue that most self-d…  Read moreefense scenarios take place when an intruder breaks into a home, school, or establishment, or a late-night assault or sexual assault attempt. If you could provide other examples that I may not be aware of, I would love to discuss them. In all of these cases I mentioned, the majority of encounters happen at a distance of ten yards or less. I would also argue that self-defense is the primary purpose of conceal-carrying for the majority of law-abiding gun owners, making the handgun the ideal choice. Assault weapons like the AR-15 cannot be concealed, meaning that it only suits events where being seen is not an issue (or already an issue). No one goes around with an AR-15 slung over their shoulder just in case they get jumped. Handguns are passive, low-profile self defense, making them more suitable for the task. I would also like to point out that the AR-15 has a 30 round magazine. The only situation in which I can see 30 rounds being needed are when there are at least 5 targets, at which point - let's be honest - it is no longer self defense. At that point, it is either a competitive shooting event or a pre-meditated massacre. As for the several month waiting time, I say this: your car is considered a lethal weapon by the law. How long does it take to get a drivers' license? For me, it was forty hours of adult-supervised driving, not including the minimum 12 sessions of hour long lessons. Anything with the ability to kill should be properly and thoroughly supervised and taught. One side effect of this wait time is potentially making it not worth the effort for someone who plans to kill.