Should civilians be alowed to own fully automatic machine guns?

Never. Citizens should only be allowed simple hunting firearms if any

yes, they should and they already can own them.

If there is a legitimate reason (academics, historical preservation, licensed collecting, etc.) and qualifications are met as determined by state and federal laws, yes.

Do I think "home defense," "hunting critter" and "because I want one" are legitimate reasons? No. But I do not believe in blanket bans "just because" any more than I believe in "just because" possession rights. Ownership should be a right with limitations and qualifications proportional to the level of risk involved.

For example, there are agricultural chemicals that can be made into explosives or poisons capable of mass killings. Should private citizens be banned from purchasing them outright? I don't believe so. But I also don't oppose appropriate oversight and regulation.

Trying to assign the easiest possible "solution" to a complex issue is rarely the correct, let alone effective, method of addressing it.

why not .. wasting more bullets doesnt make them more lethal .. that idea was mainly spawned in the days of al capone when they used machine guns for their bloody reign of terror .. they also banned silencers for pretty much no reason at all, the movies make them completely different than reality ..

The 2nd Amendment says so.

Are you implying that they can't? Because they can, as long as the firearm was manufactured before a certain date, they pay for the tax stamp, and the BATF grants them the permission to own it. To demonstrate how effective this is, ask how many legally owned and regulated machine guns have been used in any kind of shooting.

Personally, for me it's just not worth the hassle of owning a machine gun. I'd like to fire one, just to experience it, but to actually own one would be a bit much. It's kind of like a nice boat. Being on a boat is great and is a lot of fun, but owning one sucks. You don't want to be the guy who owns a boat. You want to be friends with the guy who owns a boat.

Actually, isn't it completely legal for civilians to own those? They just have to go through a lot of paperwork?

To answer your question, no.

No. They should not.

Yeap and nucular weapens. This is Trump country. Reel Amurica

I would really, really really get a kick out of owing an Israeli Uzi 9mm Submachinegun, or a Canadian C1 Sterling 9mm Submachinegun.