Have you got a gun/would you kill someone?

That's not remotely what I'm saying. I'm saying assault rifles (meaning automatic weapons) are already illegal, not that they don't exist.

I do not. Some guns fire continuously, like machine guns. Those are meaningfully different and, appropriately, already illegal.

When did we establish that the AR-15 is "better at killing while mobile" or "easier to control and aim" and "delivers ammunition in a way that's more damaging than most guns"?

The AR-15 is a semiautomatic. That means you pull the trigger once, and one bullet comes out, the same as in a plain old glock. A glock, for reference, is more or less exactly what probably pops into your head when you hear the word "handgun."

Because nobody, despite decades of political activism, has provided an effective definition that doesn't do that.

I don't think I have. I'm simply saying you should probably have a basic understanding of the thing you want to restrict.

I do have a few actions that seem reasonable to me, but they're more focused on people and improved enforcement of existing laws than restricting guns themselves. And I categorically reject the unstated assumption that, when we have a problem, the solution must be a legal one.

That said, I noted earlier in this thread that overall gun violence is down, which just kinda got skipped over:

UPDATE

Ok, so it took pretty much exactly two months from my application date at the police station for my permit to go through; I am picking it up at the police station later today.

Next up: I plan on using a "free range day" coupon I received when I took my safety course to go try out some pistols at the Massachusetts Firearms School range. Once I have run some rounds through a few pistols, I will begin the purchase process, which I believe takes another 30 days to clear from date of purchase.

Time elapsed so far since first class taken: Just under 3 months.

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FINAL UPDATE

I've had this on the back burner for a couple of years now, and with all the craziness going on lately, my wife began asking me when I would purchase a firearm for home defense. So, I have completed the entire process at this point here in the state of Massachusetts. The actual purchase didn't take long, with the biggest challenge being actually finding a firearm to buy, as there was a big run on gun shops up here over the past couple of weeks. I ended up with a small 9mm handgun. The purchase process took about an hour all together, with a few forms to fill out, and instant background check by the shop, and a bit of waiting around outside, as the shop was following strict social distancing protocols.

So, just to summarize, here in MA, the big hurdle was the extended background audit by my town's law enforcement, which as I mentioned earlier in the thread, took quite a while to clear. All in all, I had the 4 hour safety course, the law enforcement audit, and an hour at the store as they cleared the purchase.