Perhaps I was too subtle. I try to be polite.
I understand firearms. I grew up in a hunting family. Firearm selection is dependent on the prey. Not all firearms or cartridges are suitable for all prey or circumstances. Some are exceptionally suitable for particular prey & few others.
So, don't be coy. AR & AK style carbines are highly developed for killing a lot of people in a short period of time. That's really their intended use. Civilian versions are only slightly more tame. They have very limited utility in other applications. They're the preferred weapon of murderous bastards all over the world.
So, why do people insist on owning such a thing, anyway? Why do they want it so bad?
I suppose like any other enthusiasts, they want one because they want one. You could easily equate this to knife or sword collectors. Some may actually practice with them, but most probably just collect them because they want to, they like them, they like the history, physics, metallurgy, etc. More to the point, are knife collectors demonized, called out, called names, and generally speaking harassed (for various definitions of harassed) because they don't want their hobby taken from them?
Most people have one hobby or another, some of those involve objects which can be, or simply are, dangerous. We also happen to live in a world that, either through nature, ignorance, or cruelty, is dangerous. So why in the hell is one thing, above all others, targeted, when it makes up a relatively minuscule level of the actual danger that exists around us every day?