Kendall, that seems to be a common response from your compatriots. But surely the point of having a government is to balance individual rights against the interests of the wider community? If the rights of the individual are always paramount, you have anarchy.

I don't suppose we're any more trusting of our politicians than you are of yours, but I don't usually feel that my rights are under threat - at least not in ways which can't be addressed through the usual democratic means. In particular, I don't feel the loss of my right to bear arms because I don't feel the need to bear arms in the first place.

It's an interesting reflection on how different our societies really are. You find it reassuring that you have the right to bear arms, I find it reassuring that I don't need to.