Number 6, I do know what you mean- Americans' approach to a lot of things is often incomprehensible to others. I too grew up with rifles and enjoyed target shooting. I never fired anything but a 22 rifle but my brothers had a 30.06 and a 30.30, and at one time my oldest brother had a pistol. Gun safety was a big deal in our family but I don't remember anyone ever being chided over it; I don't remember anyone ever abusing them.

This country's attitude toward hunting is a fairly pragmatic one. We are aware that 'harvesting' deer, for instance, is a means of keeping the herds healthy. I have no idea how Canada or the rest of the world keep unrestrained herds from starving.

We are also aware that the average person who is anti-hunting anything is not a vegetarian; he or she just objects to anyone seeing an animal being killed for food.

Maybe UKers have been trained to think of deer as belonging only to the 'blue bloods'? I dunno.

A good many blue bloods in your country -as well as ours- have for generations gone on hunting safaris- and many a castle and manor sports wall-mounted heads as evidence. Not just for food either; there isn't much demand for lion or tiger dinners.

I suppose it is not too big a leap to go from hunting for food and sport to accept that guns are also for protection, not only from wild animals but also from the outlaws amongst us.

There is one further impetus that affects Americans - within our grandparents' and great-grandparents' memory this was a wild country. In 1918 my father's family moved to Wisconsin and broke up ground that had never been put to the plow; they routinely and relentlessly eradicated the 'varmints' that threatened their crops and animals.

Mind you, I reali