I think there has been more heat than light around in this argument so far. It has always been a sensitive issue for Americans, because they see it as being tied up with their inalienable personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and their right to self defence. Telling an American that he should not possess guns is a bit like going to an Islamic country and remarking loudly,"Why do the stupid cows wear headscarves in this heat?" We need to put these things in a cultural context. I like living in a society where I rarely see guns. There are enough folks who scare the pants off me with their Ford Escorts. God forbid they should ever get their hands on guns! I think the jury is still out on whether using guns for self defence is any real deterrent to violent criminals. I do believe, however, that gun crime is considerably more rare here than it is in the States.It is harder for everyone, including nutters, to get their hands on guns here. On the other hand, guns were no more restricted in the latter nineteenth century than they are now, and even the "wild west" town of Tombstone is said to have only averaged one homicide per year. If I want to improve my chances of dying of gunshot wounds, I shall certainly have to relocate to an African or South American country in the middle of a civil war, or perhaps to one of the major American cities which has a murder rate in excess of the entire annual casualties of the UK. Fair enough. Americans like their guns, but I think I'll stay here.