With all of the folderol about the repeal of the Assault Rifle non Ban and the risks to the polity from Assault Encryption, it is important to note that this is Much Ado About Nothing. If these gals are worried about a few AK's, what's going to become of their peace of mind when confronted with nanotechnology. It is not technologically feasibly to develop a pile of advanced technologies that do not contain weapons or defenses of some kind. Technology gives one the power to do things. The power to "do things" is a superset of the power to attack or defend (the power of weaponry). A weapon is basically an instrument for projecting force or (in the case of defenses) blocking that projection. As technology advances, more and more powerful instrumentalities are placed in individual hands. This is particularly the case with modern machines and markets. Whereas past practice involved mass production of identical products from very specialized production machinery, the current trend is moving towards custom products produced by "general" machines. While it might be barely possible in the mass production age to control weapons by blocking the flow of these specific products (a Streetsweeper, say) into the marketplace, it will clearly not be possible in the age of custom production. General machines will be available to produce specialized products (often under the direct control of the customer, himself). Some of this custom production will be weapons. DCF "Gee, I never knew Chuck Schumer was brave enough to attack another military force armed only with an 'Assault Handgun.' He must be because if he ain't then it ain't (an assault handgun, that is) because no one else would be that crazy."