"The mind reels that so many in our country believe the framers of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness would have condoned access not just to hunting rifles and small arms meant for self-protection, but also to the kind of firepower these dark minds find so readily available."  If you want to get into the minds of the Framers,  read the Militia Acts of 1792.  The first describes who is in the militia (all able-bodied males 17-45) and the second specifies the types of weapons they should have.  They are exactly the same weapons the Army had in 1792.  The second act even specifies Artillery units in each Division.  So some farmer had a cannon in his barn.  In the 80s,  the Swiss parked tanks in farmers barns so they couldn't be destroyed in motor pools at Army bases.