ZZ:
Re:  “...it is indeed illegal to own one unless you pay a hefty tax on the thing. ”  
True of houses, too.
Most people wouldn't say that guns or homes are illegal.  They just have special taxes - as do thousands of other things.

Gold is $1,581/oz today. When it hits $2,000, it will be up 26.5%.  Let's see how long that takes. - De  3/11/2013 - ANSWER:  7 Years, 5 Months