I love this thread. You folks, whether I agree or disagree with you, have put some really thoughtful opinions down and they are a pleasure to read. Having said that, I am all for "terminating" any criminal who is intending to do me or a loved one harm. Also, I would be happy to blow to smithereens anyone who entered my apartment while I was home, whether they were armed or unarmed, so don't get me wrong here. I work with all different types of criminals every day in my job. I just know that if I owned a gun, it is more likely that it would ultimately be used against me than used against the intruder. I wouldn't want to introduce a firearm into a situation where, if I'd left things alone, there would've been none. But getting back, an individual does not a militia make and although I am not a constitutional scholar, I have suffered through my share of classes in constitutional law and it seems to me that the 2nd Amendment is fairly clear in its wording.

I do find it puzzling that pro-gun Americans don't see the apparent connection between us owning so many guns and all the thousands of gun deaths every year in this country. What is it, coincidence?? The rest of the world pales in comparison, statistically.

On the other hand (not to thread creep too much), I think McGrath brings up an interesting question: is the American culture inherently more violent than other cultures? There has been research done that supports this--there has also been research which debunks the theory. Either way, if it's not true that Americans are unusually violent, then it seems that the guns, not the people, are the problem. If it IS true, we're only encouraging more bad behavior from a people who are already prone to violence by allowing them easy access to guns. Both ways, as long as guns are available on every street corner or gun show, we lose.