Why does any civilian 'need' an assault weapon/extended magazine?

Let's see:

For "self-defense"?? Whatcha expecting....a brigade of (fill-in-the blank here, e.g.; Taliban, Martians, living dead, other paranoid fantasies...) marching up your street?
(And if your neighborhood is somehow really that dangerous, move out - now.)

Target shooting? Those milk jugs or whatever...they got NO chance...


And I can't think of other sketchy "reasons" that otherwise sane civilians would delude themselves into thinking they need such a deadly weapon, and/or extra shot capability.  
You know...as in the semi-automatic pistol/extended magazine used very rapidly and efficiently to dispatch six people at Congresswoman Giffords' Saturday constituent meeting. (January 8th.) Including a nine-year-old child. Wounding/maiming many others (fourteen)... in seconds....(Even if armed security was present (and survived), many in attendance (still) would have been shot before those officers could have neutralized a killer possessing such a weapon. And it might have actually gotten worse (in such a scenario)... think "shootout at the 'OK Corral'"-time...Multiple shooters, in close quarters. God save 'em...)

FWIW: My acquaintances and I have all managed to live our lives just fine - for decades - without owning or requiring anything like an assault weapon.

The ultimate purpose of such dangerous weapons is to hurt as many living things as possible (think people), as efficiently as possible.

1/10/11 update: Independently (I had not read it prior to writing this post), Gail Collins of The New York Times published a 1/9/11 article with several similar points - better written. Link to that article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/opinion/10collins.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

(Continuing:) Per the previous post here (and others), in a 300+ million nation, there will always be a few extreme 'nuts' off of their medication, just paroled...whatever. And we make it too easy for them to arm themselves. Ban assault weapons/extended magazines from civilian purchase and use. Implement lucrative trade-in programs for existing weapons.

Representative Carolyn McCarthy offers a start...though few hold much hope (for such action) in an NRA-bought-and-sold House of Representatives...
"Do nothing", as this article predicts. Which leads to this grim yet evident (to some) prediction: In a nation of 270 million guns (about 85 guns per 100 people), mass shootings will continue....over  and over and over again. Most won't involve a high-profile congressperson or similar. But, no matter what, pray that these now-inevitable terrors don't involve you, me, a loved one, etc. As that may be your main defense. Legislators will likely do nothing. Keep in mind: You won't be able to ready your 'Glock' fast enough to ward off a determined killer - especially with an efficient killing (assault) firearm - who's got "the jump" on you.  No way....And armed citizens present in such a terrible fray are just as likely to turn the situation into a wild shootout as they are to disable (only) an attacker.

"It is much easier at all times to prevent an evil than to rectify mistakes." - George Washington

(Unfortunately, George...in today's gun-crazed America we've allowed it to be much too late to be "easier".)


The "arms race" - it's in your own neighborhood....

The Second Amendment (U.S. Constitution) was adopted in 1791. Our visionary forefathers could in no way accurately envision semi-automatic Glocks, deadly AK-47s, etc. etc. -- in the hands of millions of civilians....That could NOT have been the intent.