
Of course, instructions to make things like crude frag grenades can be found online, so if someone wanted some...
Why own an M-16? At the very least, the ammo is cheapish, and you don't have to reload as often. The military and civilian M-16s are practically the same, except that the military ones have a three round burst firing mode. And by saying that handguns (which are probably the most used type of firearm in crime) are "better" than an M-16 for public safety...I just don't see it. Even ONE person wrongly dying from firearms is not a good thing. You think a potential ten is acceptable? Then why not thirty (the typical capacity of a fully loaded M-16 magazine)?
The issue is not the type of weapon - the issue is keeping the weapon away from those who would misuse it. I can touch an M-16, you can touch an M-16, and Phade can touch an M-16 - all of us could touch this "bad bad deadly" instrument, and yet none of us would feel the need to go on a killing spree (likely).
A crazy person, on the other hand, could touch a spoon, and then try to dig his tablemate's eye out with it.
So to conclude, PEOPLE are the dangerous weapon.
And as an addenum: as I've mentioned before, in Switzerland most of the houses have a loaded, fully automatic SIG assault rifle (the Swiss equivalent of the M-16) in their homes, BY GOVERNMENT MANDATE. And yet the crime rate is pretty much equal to the rest of Europe (in other words, LOW). People, folks, people.