Now I'm going to put my foot in my mouth.

Anyone who grew up in a house with bullet holes in the venetian blinds was not the child of a responsible gun owner, and should have been scared.

I know plenty of people who do not own guns, would not own guns, and are in favor of gun-control laws (and I'm from Texas). Unfortunately, it's the really nasty stuff that gets all the attention.

My brother is a Civil War reenactor and owns a rifle and a handgun, so I don't feel that I can fairly criticize those who see gun ownership as a right, even if I suspect that our reasons for owning guns vary a lot. Frankly, even if we did own these guns for protection, I would not be willing to bank on them to protect me in the panicky heat of the moment.

I will never be comfortable with the "Constitutional protection" afforded gun ownership. Individuals carrying weapons for personal protection are not a well-regulated militia. Most Americans are no longer at risk of attack by wild animals or Native Americans (not that the Native Americans weren't amply justified). Most Americans don't _need_ to hunt for food, either.