Dear Elektra. You are quite right in saying that personal protection is your own responsibility. Unfortunately the police would tell you to make a prison of your home and lock yourself in it. By doing so they are forcing you to live miserably in fear. However, I do not know of one police officer that isnt happy when he finds a dead criminal and not a dead victim. I can quote many instances where the knowledge that you are prepared to defend yourself with force prevented a crime. Nobody seems to be collecting those statistics. I am not into militia's or any right to bear arms. But I am concerned that people think gun control is the answer. Check out Northern Ireland 300 years history of failed arms control. The Pathans in Afghanistan buy them from manufacturers in Pakistan who use foot operated lathes to make AK 47 clones in their work shops. The mighty Soviet Union failed to control them there too! I do not advocate that people should have unrestricted access to guns but must plead for sanity when trying to control them. The only people who get to suffer are the millions of decent firearm owners who end up paying a fortune for their sport. Now we suffer the vehement anger of people who equate violence with guns. We are accused of being stupid, rabid, worshipping guns, right wing bigots etc. Strange when I am attending range safety instruction and regularly go target shooting with a retired Doctor of Music; and shoot with a retired nurse. Watch my fireman friend who just saved pepoles lives during a fire, compete on the range. They dont seem to fit the mold do they? When you apply moral culpability to inanimate objects, the world is insane. Stop drunk driving and ban automatic transmissions. It was the golf clubs fault your honour not mine... etc ad nauseum. Criminals dont obey laws. the law abiding do, simple logic... If you all want to save more childrens lives, lets remember that more kids get killed by automobiles than guns. They are licensed registered and insured, but how many drunks without a license and driving without insurance kill people every year? I think you anger would be better directed at cars than guns IMO. Yours,Aye. Dave