Norton quotes that 92% of guns used by criminals are stolen, and uses that as the basis of "gun control is a waste of time". What this misses is that the guns have to be stolen *from* somewhere. If there simply aren't that many guns lying around to be stolen easily, this 92% aren't going to be able to get their hands on them.

I certainly don't have any problem with gun ownership (I think Britain totally messed up with the knee-jerk legislation after Dunblane), but I do see a problem with carrying the things around, and with storing them insecurely. A serious mugger isn't going to stand up to your face and say "give me your wallet", he's going to club you down from behind, or walk close to you and then pull a knife. Unless you're Wyatt Earp, having a gun on you isn't much help bcos you can't get it out in time to do anything, and in fact you're just likely to be shot with your own weapon when the mugger takes it from you! And storing them insecurely goes without saying, bcos if a burglar knows he can break into any house out in the country and get himself some guns, we're talking a recipe for disaster. (By insecurely I'm talking anything less than a quarter-inch of solid steel on all sides with a lock like Fort Knox - no, a chain is *not* adequate. If you can get the gun out with bolt cutters, in fact, if you can get it with anything less than a cutting torch), I'd not think that was secure enough.)

Regarding your Founding Fathers, the reason every American had rights to bear arms was bcos the militia AND police back then was every man from every house. There wasn't the concept of owning weapons for leisure use - every gun was a military weapon. These days America has an army and a police force. The reason the Founding Fathers gave people those rights is just OVER. Unless of course you want to defend *yourself* from the police and army, in which case I suggest you read up on what happened at Waco.

Graham.