I haven't read the whole thread but I just wanted to add a piece of pointless trivia.

We have very strict - VERY strict - gun laws in Australia. As a result, hardly anybody has guns and hardly anybody dies in shootings. (Port Arthur notable exception - to pre-empt anyone bringing that up and yes, that event heralded the stricter gun laws that we have)

Anyway, the Chesboy and I were watching the news the other night and there was a story about how some guy living in a suburb about 20 minutes from ours was caught with a gun, and there were pictures of the gun and so on and so forth. We were shocked - and then said to each other `if this was in the US it wouldn't have even been noticed, let alone a whole news story devoted to it'. And it wouldn't. But in Australia, guns are still treated with suspicion and shock and whenever anyone is caught with one (which doesn't happen often) it makes the news.

I have to say, I like it that way. We are a virtually gun-free culture, and crime levels aren't affected by it and people don't quake with fear in their beds at night. You will get used to whatever your environment supplies for you. There's no need to own guns, just no need. But I can't imagine any way at all in which you could achieve the kind of thing we have here in the US. I just can't see how it could be done. I guess there's no un-ringing that bell.

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We've got rules and maps and guns in our backs, but we still can't just behave ourselves. Even if to save our own lives, we are a brutal kind. The Shins