BTW in 1994 (the year i found data) assualt rifles where only used in 1% of murders.
I had a couple of professors who were making flintlocks using no power tools, cutting their own screws, etc. The rifles were things of beauty. From that I gained an interest in metalwork, machining, and an enhanced interest in firearms.
If just one student decides to become an engineer over the appreciation of the simple beauty of a reliable rifle, even one of theirs, it is educational.
Some folks seem to think that mere posession of such an arm makes one into some sort of homicidal maniac. Hoplophobia is alive and well.