Hi Richard:
These are two separate points. You and I, most likely, share similar views on gun control. I believe that a democracy is well protected, at this poor stage in human history, by having the population able to have guns, however, thouse guns should be regulated and not in the hands of criminals and crazies, and to accomplish this, there needs to be much more regulation, and much different regulation than exists in the US today.
What I was objecting to is the belief that hunter gatherer societies are a thing of the past and will evolve out of their hunterer gatherer past. In the old social darwinist view of history, we are moveing towards the perfection of the Euro-American present, when ever that is and with what ever mistakes that represents. And communities which evolve by other ideals and goals are seen as being a relic of the past. We have to (in my very, well not so humble I am afraid, humble opinon) stop making a religion out of our view of history and progress. The earth cannot sustain US and English views of consumption, though I do admit the US is the chief villian in this, taking some 70 percent of the worlds resourses... well, the point is progress and modernism may look a little more like what some natives do...
All the best...
Larry