> There's also the fact that outright bans on semi-automatic rifles are an untenable proposal, because they're too legitimately useful to some subsets of civilians
I mean, they banned semi-auto rifles in Oz after a mass shooting. Farmers can still use bolt action .303 rifles for really gnarly beasts like giant hogs.
As someone who grew up in rural Louisiana in the southeastern US, if you're being charged by a hog, you're better off with a .45 semi-automatic handgun such as a Colt 1911 / clone. That will likely be the difference between "I just had a mild heart attack" and "I'm in the ICU". As far as hunting, sure, a bolt-action rifle in the .30-caliber range, such as a .308 or .30-06 is fine, since you have distance on your side, particularly distance that isn't rapidly decreasing with some tusks headed your way with your name on them.
I'm not saying that's good public policy (licensure --- in the US, probably presumptively issued licensure --- is the right answer here, not bans).