There really is no need for automatic weapons and in fact the rules are very very strict to even own one and they are quite rare in the civilian population. I can't remember the last time there was a mass shooting when one was even used.

Unlike the military's M16 that does have select fire (automatic), the civilian version is called the AR-15 and is semi automatic meaning that only one round is fired with each pull of the trigger.

Also, the politicians that are trying to legislate against those type of weapons never use the proper nomenclature (don't even know what they are talking about) when referring to the device used to hold ammunition. They and the media will almost always call them high capacity clips when in fact they are called magazines. They also like to refer to them as "assault rifles", as if to give them a scary moniker but what exactly does that mean? They certainly were never marketed as such, so why do they call them that?

Most of today's modern handguns are semi-automatic as well, as are many hunting rifles and shotguns, but ill-informed legislators such as Dianne Feinstein always seem to focus on the AR-15/AK-47 platforms and I don't understand why. It also seems hypocritical to me that she is licensed to carry a concealed weapon herself in a city/state where that is difficult to get. Yet she continues to support bans against it. What makes her so special?