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Another question is whether it is necessary in ways other than actual combat, and that answer is a definite yes. When Marines went ashore in Lebanon with M1 rifles, they were the laughing stock of the mid-east. Now, trained Marines with M1 rifles are hardly unarmed compared to third rate, "spray and pray" thugs armed with AK-47's, but the lack of FA capability was perceived by friends and enemies alike as showing the US as behind the arms curve, a second class power.
That is why the M14 was rushed into service, and why the US had to adopt a more feasible selective fire rifle. The M16 was not especially liked by Army ordnance, but it was available and its caliber made it controllable in FA fire, so it was chosen. The alternative, simply adopting the AK-47, was definitely NOT politically acceptable!
Originally, light auto weapons were not really intended to deal with large numbers of enemies; the intent was to increase the hit probability by putting out more bullets at an individual target. While "spray and pray" might be useful in some situations, as described by others, usually aimed semi-auto or short burst fire will do the job better.
Jim
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