Bill D: of course I realise that a great many Americans want to see more gun control. That includes most of those I know personally. But for whatever reasons they don't seem to be able to summon sufficient political clout to change the laws. American society as a whole, as evidenced by the laws it passes, still seems to favour widespread gun ownership.

Ebbie: special provisions may apply to indigenous communities. However I doubt those who wrote the 2nd Amendment had their rights in mind. In fact, I suspect it was the indigenous communities who the militia were expected to have to defend against.

The UK has some of the strictest gun controls in the world, but it is still possible to own a gun. Only handguns are completely banned. You have to show a very good reason, and that you are a fit and proper person (although even then a few nutters occasionally slip through). Most people who want a gun for target shooting, hunting or vermin control will be able to own one. However the majority of the population have no need or indeed wish to, least of all for personal protection. Whilst there are a lot of illegal weapons, they are mainly used against other criminals and the ordinary citizen has little to fear, unless they are unfortunate enough to live in a high-crime area where they might get caught in cross-fire.