Does full auto really make a gun more lethal?

[Will3212]

The idea of gun owners and gun rights groups is that AR style rifles are not assault rifles due to no full auto function.
In the military specifically the war in Afghanistan, soldiers were issued M4s with Semi and 3 round Burst. Full auto is seen as a waste of ammo and very inaccurate.
If full auto ARs were legalized, would this really make mass shootings by insane killers/criminals more lethal?

[DK23]

The idea of gun owners and gun rights groups is that AR style rifles are not assault rifles due to no full auto function.
In the military specifically the war in Afghanistan, soldiers were issued M4s with Semi and 3 round Burst. Full auto is seen as a waste of ammo and very inaccurate.
If full auto ARs were legalized, would this really make mass shootings by insane killers/criminals more lethal?

I would say yes because in the military you are usually shooting at 1-2 people at a time. In a mass shooting, there could be 50+ people in a hallway or crowded room where full-auto would be beneficial, assuming the person can handle the recoil and knows how to change mags quickly.

[Will3212]

Would you support legalizing it? or keep things the way they are.

[DukeConnor]

You couldn't shoot them at most ranges and clubs.

[bogey1]

Legalize them.

[JaySmith]

More freedom is always better than less freedom.

[John_Wick]

Would you support legalizing it? or keep things the way they are.

I would support legalizing it. Yes I think it would likely make mass shootings worse considering they could just spray and pray. If public safety was really the main concern though, they could just tax stamp it like they already do with machine guns, SBRs, etc. I can't say I'm a fan of that whole process or the cost involved, but how many mass shootings are committed with NFA items? No one wants to wait on a tax stamp when the voices are telling you to kill NOW NOW NOW.

[JAKIII]

I have no problem with the current tax stamp requirement to own a full-auto weapon.

[GunLawyer001]

Full auto is useful against armed attackers so you can shoot them before they can get disabling shots into you, and in theory would be useful if many potential victims in a crowd are running away (don't recall that actually ever happening, except for govt troops killing civilians in various thuggish nations around the world.)

In practice, back pre-1986 when M-16's could be had for a grand or less, we didn't have mass shootings to any significant extent. Pre-1934, only mobsters used MG's for murders, and the NFA didn't end mob murders.

[father-of-five]

The idea of gun owners and gun rights groups is that AR style rifles are not assault rifles due to no full auto function.
In the military specifically the war in Afghanistan, soldiers were issued M4s with Semi and 3 round Burst. Full auto is seen as a waste of ammo and very inaccurate.
If full auto ARs were legalized, would this really make mass shootings by insane killers/criminals more lethal?

I hate to say yes too quickly, but look what happened to bump stocks after the shooting in Las Vegas. I will ask "How can one miss?" when they are shooting at thousands of people, but the other side will use that as one of many reasons to ban.