Yes, there are 'civilian' versions available, I have never ever said that you can't use them as civilians. NOR did I ever said that you SHOULD NOT use them, if you like to.
But I would argue that you have for almost all cases, if we concentrate on sport and hunting, better choices. Which are either cheaper or better suited for the task. There is a reason why bolt action rifles for example, are a very popular choice by hunters and sports shooters. And they come with many different cardridges, depending on what you're hunting.
The point is, that the characteristics of the 5,56mm was not made for civilian use in particular, but specifically with the needs of war and the military in mind. Look at the history of the round. It was made with the intention of easier recoil while maintaining the same accuracy of larger calibers up to at least 300 meters the usual combat ranges on the battlefield, it was specifically made for the needs of a modern war where assault rifles became the new standard for pretty much any large army around the world. And all this, uh but it is not made to kill the target! Is nothing more but a try to misslead the discussion. Obviously a question in the military is the efficiency of weapon systems, and that means to neutralize the target fast and quickly. What ever if that means now killing or wounding, is not the point, by the way I would also argue that the military prefers in most cases to kill their targets rather then to 'only' wound it. A wounded target, can still respond sometimes. A killed one, can do nothing. I mean, so many veterans that I have seen mentioned that they did a lot of things to make sure that their target was actually dead, and not just wounded.
I mean you can love guns all you want, but you can not ignore nor denny the background of certain weapon systems and what their intended purpose was and STILL is. I love guns, their look and their mechanics and the history behind certain fire arms. I am not a pro, where I know absolutely every detail, but I can pretty well estimate how gun nuts feel, because I feel very much the same about weapons. If it was allowed to get a machine gun in Germany, and I had the money, I would get one for example, the M249, Hk21, Mg3 awesome weapons! And why? Because it's fucking fun! That's why. But what I don't like, are bullshit arguments by gun nuts, where they act like certain weapons are a commodity like any other. If the 5,56mm with a 30 round mag in a fast firing assault rifle, wasn't such an effective 'tool' in killing another human beeing, no one would ever get it for self defence, because a 9mm with a 7 round mag in a pistol could do the same job. But it can't, because the rifle is a better choice here if you want a weapon that is more effective.
How many machine guns and assault rifles are used there?
