[nibbleshifter]

Many firearm regulations, both inside and outside the US, are based on inaccurate perceptions of how things work (eg: suppressors), or things just looking scary.

Where I live, I can get a licence for a semiautomatic center fire rifle rather easily. So long as its not of a "military style".

So I can own a Mini-14, which fires 5.56/.223 rounds, etc, but not an AR-15 despite there being no functional difference between the two rifles. They both have the same standard magazine capacity, same round, etc.

The reason for this comes down to one being "military style" and the other looking more like a hunting rifle.