This is widely debated in America; take a look at the debates over illegal immigrants some time, especially among people from states that border with Mexico.
"Americans are more concerned about keeping hold of hard core military weapons in their homes"
It is illegal to keep most military weapons in one's home in America; anything beyond a sidearm is too heavily regulated in this country. When you see pictures of Americans with military-style rifles, what you are actually looking at are civilian variants like the AR-15, which do not have a "full-auto" or "burst" mode.
As an American, I can tell you what my view on this is: AR-15s and AK-47s are not the problem here. It is relatively rare for such guns to be used by criminals. Tens of thousands of people are murdered with guns each year in this country, and the majority of those murders involve handguns. While we do get the occasion lunatic who goes on a rampage with a rifle (like the recent tragedy in Connecticut, although even he carried handguns), what is more common is gang violence, and gangs prefer guns they can conceal easily: handguns. A common pattern in home burglaries is for the thief to check nightstands, dresser drawers, and other places people commonly hide handguns, because handguns are in high demand on the black market.
This is widely debated in America; take a look at the debates over illegal immigrants some time, especially among people from states that border with Mexico.
"Americans are more concerned about keeping hold of hard core military weapons in their homes"
It is illegal to keep most military weapons in one's home in America; anything beyond a sidearm is too heavily regulated in this country. When you see pictures of Americans with military-style rifles, what you are actually looking at are civilian variants like the AR-15, which do not have a "full-auto" or "burst" mode.
As an American, I can tell you what my view on this is: AR-15s and AK-47s are not the problem here. It is relatively rare for such guns to be used by criminals. Tens of thousands of people are murdered with guns each year in this country, and the majority of those murders involve handguns. While we do get the occasion lunatic who goes on a rampage with a rifle (like the recent tragedy in Connecticut, although even he carried handguns), what is more common is gang violence, and gangs prefer guns they can conceal easily: handguns. A common pattern in home burglaries is for the thief to check nightstands, dresser drawers, and other places people commonly hide handguns, because handguns are in high demand on the black market.