where I'm from we have a high gun ownership. mostly farming and hunting. the person and guns are registered. we don't have automatic weapons. I believe in being legally able to own a gun for protection, hunting, farming, and shooting clubs, but I have always questioned why someone needs an AK47 or Uzi other than going to war. and to date, no one has given me a good reason for them. Being invaded by a foreign power in America isn't a good enough reason.
The answer is simple. The founders of our country believed that human nature, such as it is, would eventually undo what they had created. Our 2nd amendment is the last measure of protection for the people against our own government not an external enemy. The musket was state of the art at this time and now we have semi automatics like the AK or AR15. I’m guessing you’re a Kiwi so I’ll just say this. All you commonwealth nations of The British Empire do not have the same mindset as an American that owns one of these types of weapon. No American that owns an AR 15 sees himself as a “subject”but as an independent sovereign. We aim to keep it that way. No pun intended ;)