You're right, of course, McG, but I think the lack of desire (which I referred to in my earlier post) derives, to a great extent, from the fact that it's very difficult to be allowed to own a gun (impossible nowadays to legally own handguns or automatics) and so there's no mindset that gun ownership is either desirable or 'normal'. In fact, I'd suggest that most British people would regard anyone who had the kind of gun-mania that many Americans seem to suffer from, as having a serious psychological defect.

Making guns illegal, of itself, won't cure anything in a nation that's so obsessed with firearm-ownership,but it would have to be accompanied by a programme of removing existing guns - I guess by a firearms amnesty with financial compensation initially, but eventually by the imposition of heavy penalties for non-surrender of guns. The registered weapons should be relatively easy to track down, the big problem would be with guns held illegally (including illegally-held weapons in the hands of individuals who have no criminal record).

But the real answer is to achieve a change to the mindset of Americans that you're only safe if you have a gun. It's a symptom of a national paranoia, and you, I and every other British 'Catter know that it's simply not true.

And, good idea though it is, requiring attendance of gun-owners at regular training as part of this ludicrous, non-existent 'militia' would have them howling like banshees and running for the hills!