"well you'll be relieved to know that your gun laws are the main reason, i won't visit America. It seems like a scary place."

Well, that's a mistake. Americans are a wonderful people and I've never seen a person with a gun whenever I've been, including out in the backcountry where there are bears etc. I did see a 'no guns' sign when I went into a museum in West Virgina and that was a bit of a shock (what sort of person would take a gun into a museum anyway?).

So it's not a scary place, but it is a scared place. People have guns because either they are frightened or they're cock-wavers. You don't need an AK47 to hunt bears (as one chap on the TV was doing recently) and no-one needs automatic weapons full stop. These are designed to kill people, nothing else.

The big cultural difference between us and the US is the acceptance in the states of a culture of ultra violence, to the point where killing unarmed people, school massacres and tots being shot by accident have become everyday occurrences that are accepted as part of society.

I can't wait to get back to the US, and never think of guns when I'm there as I don't when I'm here. If my behaviour had to change because of intimidation by folk with guns I'd probably think twice though; there's enough fear in the world without exposing yourself to it for no good reason.