[RShaw]

Mark,
I completely understand where you're coming from; since I was brought up in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" and lived there between 1953 and 1984- during those key formative years when ideals and values are instilled for a lifetime. Since 1984, I have lived in Belgium and Germany- and now since 1991 in the Netherlands - and have had to deal with the far more restrictive gun laws here.

I completely concur with your point: We all have the responsibility to use, handle and store our firearms properly. The problem in the US is, too many people are not doing that!! Too many people who have no idea how to properly use, store, maintain and transport firearms are buying up guns for self protection, but who inevitably pose a danger to the public because they do not observe basic gun safety protocol, they leave loaded guns in places where small children (or people with nefarious purposes) can access them, and they themselves don't really know how to use them!

The parade of incidents of gun related violence, negligent discharge homicides, school shootings, etc, etc, in the US really depresses me. "What is happening to my country?" I wonder.
This is why I would favor better storage regulations, background checks, etc as stated above SINCE too many people are not being responsible!

There is a very fuzzy line / gray area between government control whose purpose is to restrict the rights of the individual in order to subdue a population, versus the crafting of regulations to encourage responsible behavior and keep firearms out of the hands of those who would purposely misuse them. Isn't this the real dilemma?

The anti gunners are reacting out of fear or ignorance, it seems to me, not unlike what I see here. However, I think they have a legitimate point when one considers the gun violence record of the US.

I am not an anti-gunner who wants to weld the bolt shut, cut off the sear, pull the firing pin, fill the barrel with lead, and weld the trigger to the frame. I am pro-gunner who wants to see the individual gun enthusiast respected and the prospective gun owner take the responsibility to educate him or herself on the safety protocols for handling, storing, and using firearms, as well as on the principles of basic marksmanship.

I know I'm ranting. I don't believe I've been indoctrinated under EU gun laws. But something has to change in the US. Something has to change here too.