<snip about rural areas and hunting> My point here is that this is the only practical application for owning a gun...unless you intend on shooting someone.
There's also a sport element to target shooting. I for one find that to be fun and a lot more convenient than waiting for hunting season.
Perhaps requiring a certificate of completion from a gun safety course would be good requirement for anyone who wants to purchase a firearm, then again licensed teens are killing themselves and others street racing.
Good points, and I agree about the safety course. Youngsters (age < 21 I think) around here have to take one before they can purchase a hunting license, but after the course they are also allowed to own a gun IIRC (not purchase though). Of course, the class focuses on hunting stuff mainly, but at least there's some effort to promote gun awareness.
The argument that we should abolish ownership of firearms is a moot point, it just isn't going to happen. If you looks at the statistics 38% of households in the US won firearms. Of those the total amount of firearms is large enough to provide a firearm for every person in the US. These statistics come from a study done in 2004 and is base on registered firearms, lord knows how many other firearms there are out there.
Also good points. Our nation has a unique culture with a do-it-yourself aspect, and we demand a right to protect us and ours. Removing gun ownership would fail, either by lack of legislative progress or by large scale dissent against such legislature if passed. Oh, and I've never registered any of my guns (even if they're only for hunting; one's a muzzle-loader, the other's a shotgun with an uncommon fiberglass barrel, so it can't even take steel shot and I don't use it anymore).
It also has been suggested that we arm everyone as a form of deterrent, the first of many problems with this idea is the practice of muzzle discipline. Can you imagine how many people would have been shot by friendly fire if all of those students at Virginia Tech had been armed and fired on the shooter. People like this student who went on this shooting spree had intending on taking their own life in the process, so there wouldn't be a deterrent there.
It would only have required one person to be armed. The argument of arming everyone is just that the perpetrator would know that he'd make little progress before someone stopped him by deadly force. And even if he was going to throw his life away like he did, he would not have been able to take 30+ innocent people with him. Not like everyone's gonna get in a circle and shoot the perpetrator. IMO though, gun discipline should be something taught to everyone, even if they never end up owning a gun. I was brough up knowing how to treat guns, and I even have a hard time pointing toys directly at people.
There is a misconception that has been mentioned here regarding the second amendment to the constitution regarding the right to bare arms. Courts have consistently held that the amendment's language--"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed"--only gives the states the right to maintain well-regulated militias, which since 1903 have taken the form of the National Guard.
Another valid point, but I'll refer again to our unique culture. Also, I vastly prefer the current system to having the government own all the firearms.
<snip> Another solution is in the works in the form of "smart" firearms, these are firearms that will recognize the proper owner and will only allow that person to discharge that firearm. I would also like to see that the sale of firearms be restricted to US citizens.
Unfortunately, sometimes the guns are fired by their legal owners. Also, there are legitimate incidences of loaning/borrowing guns to other people.
The point that more people have been killed per capita by cars than by firearms, but how many of you are aware that more people have been killed by physicians than by cars?
Or swimming pools. Those should definitely be banned.
Unsolved 
) killed his ex, then himself. The gal had already gotten a court protection order, but obviously the law can't stop a determined psycho.
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