the whole original concern of this article is to ban "weapons of war", right? Not to ban all guns outright.
I can show you the various bills proposed. There are a few annoying things I have to address here.
What is a "weapon of war"? Would you say that a firearm that can rapidly shoot 16 rounds is a "weapon of war"?
So you'd ban the glock handgun?
Most 9mm handguns?
Is magazine capacity the problem or is the semi-automatic function of a firearm the problem?
Or is it the general appearance of the firearm?
What makes a gun more/less a "weapon of war"?
Handguns are responsible for the vast, vast majority of firearm homicides in the U.S. They are a far bigger issue when it comes to protecting the populace than rifles are. Most of the proposed bills would actually ban handguns as well (like, again, the very common glock).
I own several guns and I'll tell you which I prefer to keep next to my bed for defense. I have a 12 gauge loaded with 00 buck which will blow a hole through most of the sheetrock in my house. It is the "one and done, destroy everything in that direction" weapon. It's not very accurate past 20 yards or so - it also sprays a bunch of rounds which can go all over the place. There are all sorts of shells you can put in a shotgun - some may argue that a slug can be accurate enough (and that will go through a few walls too), but if you're going to be shooting slugs with a 12 gauge, you may as well be shooting a rifle IMO.
So then we have a 9mm loaded with hollow point. In a high adrenaline situation, firing a 9mm accurately at 15-20 yards is a bit of a feat. The police in NY have something like an 18% accuracy rating which means they need to fire 5 rounds to probably hit something. It's not a terrible weapon, but if someone was across my living room in the middle of the night, I may struggle to hit them.
Finally, you have the AR. I can rapid fire plink a target at 100 yards with a half-inch or so of spread between rounds. It's an incredibly accurate, lightweight, low-recoil gun (especially compared to the 12 gauge - that thing will rock your shoulder HARD and may be difficult for women and/or the elderly to use). It can also be loaded up with frangible ammunition which (like the hollow point) is made to shatter when it hits something to avoid over-penetration.
The STANDARD AR magazine holds 30 rounds. Legislators have started calling this "high capacity magazines", but that's a complete load.
So when you're thinking "hmm, which weapon is the best for defense", the answer is really "it depends."
If my kids are asleep upstairs when someone starts kicking in the front door and I make it in time, I'd say "hello" with the 12 gauge.
If my family is awake and there's movement in the house - I need to be careful with rounds - I would go with the AR.
If I want something small and compact that I can throw in my glove-box or in a shoulder holster, I'll go with the handgun.
I hope this helps a bit.