GuestQ; (1) Accidental deaths involving firearms have not gone up in any of the states that have concealed carry "shall-issue" laws, some of which have been in place for quite a few years, such as in Texas and Vermont. (2) Part of the rationale behind requiring concealed carry is the bad guys will never be sure who is armed and who isn't, thereby extending some protection to those who do not carry guns.

Forum Lurker: (1) Your statement that gun ownership increases death rates from accidents and suicides is based on what? (2) The 43:1 ratio is blather, and there are no true statistics that back it up. Saying "Everyone knows" doesn't prove anything except a lack of facts. (3) For many, many years the worlds highest suicide rate was in Sweden, hardly a bastion of gun ownership.

Mr. Hammond: Your statement of your opinion is one of the most honest ones I've seen. Your statement "Guns are fucking stupid" is absoultely correct. In fact, guns are inanimate tools, like hammers, no better and no worse than the people who use them.

O'Meara