An interesting perspective GAK, and as the reasonable person you seem to reveal yourself as, one I can certainly appreciate as a valid differing view.

It's been said we Americans are barbaric and filled with bloodlust. While there's some amount of truth to that generalization, just as in all generalizations, such a truth only applies to some, not all.

One sad, but just as surely real, part of our society is that it can be violent.

Though I don't carry a weapon, I can say there are scenarios I've encountered when I experienced genuine fear for my life, when one might have come in handy had things turned out differently. Luckily, good radar for such things, social skills and a method to make a hasty retreat at the time served me well, as did a bit of luck no doubt.

In a perfect world where everyone respects one another, I might feel differently about guns, but quite simply, that world doesn't exist here.

A truth I realized about myself many years ago is as follows : I'm a gentle soul tryin to make my way through a reality that is much harsher than I am