Long time lurker, first time poster. This one made me feel compelled to weigh in.
After years of seeing the online debate on "they're coming for our guns", I have come to the conclusion on what it really means. The right seems to be under the impression that having a semi-automatic rifle with a standard capacity 30-round magazine puts them on an even playing field with the militarized police force and the military, and that taking away the ownership of said weapon will put them on an uneven field with said groups. My response to this conclusion is as follows:
1 - Banning the sale of semi-automatic rifles does not mean taking them away from you. While I personally would love to have them turned in, it isn't going to happen (and I think all the tough talk on shooting "door knockers" is just that, tough talk). There will never be a bill at the federal level that will not grandfather in what is currently out there. I can live with that, because once we get a ban in place, eventually enough time will pass that the semi-automatic rifle will fall the way of the automatic rifle.
2 - None of us are on an equal footing with the militarized police (let alone the military). This idea that not having a semi-automatic rifle makes them less able to "fight back" is ridiculous. The police have them as well as actual military stuff and SWAT teams. It is a false belief that one's AR-15 and/or AK-47 Clone is going to let one stand their ground against these well armed groups. It's insane actually. Whether one has an AR-15 in their hands or a bolt-action rifle with a 5-round magazine, their chances are the same; none.
3 - I agree that the police are over militarized and have a serious problem with being trigger happy and violent, however that can and will be addressed through legislation. The other implication of my number 1 above is that police violence can be addressed with violence. It can't and the person that thinks that is deluded (see number 2).
4 - I've seen the right use arguments that we on the gun control side are hypocritical because the bans on future sales we want never include the police. This is again starting from the belief that they are on equal footing because they own a safe full of semi-automatic rifles; a false and dangerous belief. I do want the police to lose the semi-auto rifles they have as well as the automatic ones and their military vehicles, but not until bans on future sales for the rest of the population have been in place for a few decades to give time for the grandfathered ones to go out of circulation through natural means. Then I would love to see our police force go back to the days before the major shoot out in LA with those two armored and armed bank robbers caused the police views to change to a military one.
These are my thoughts on the subject, thanks for letting me weigh in.
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