[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by ploesj

i'm sure you and the people around you aren't the type of gun-wielding maniac, but don't you think there should be some sort of regulation on who gets to own a weapon and who doesn't? in my opinion, someone with a violent past or a history of depression and suicide attempts shouldn't be able to just get a weapon.

i agree with that, that guns should be licensed the way you get one to drive a car (this would require study and passing an exam on gun safety).

the only problem with that is that this is enshrined in the american constitution as a right, so you can't put a license on a right. you only need permits for conceal carry (e.g., packing a gun under your jacket wherever you go). this varies again by state to state. in virginia i think now you can carry guns in the open.

while driving is a privilege and not a right, owning a gun is a right and not a privilege, by the law of this land. the only people who are barred from owning guns are convicted felons.

peculiar, huh? but it is what it is... changing that culture in a country of over 310,000,000 people would be extremely hard. remember than unlike your own country, this beast is made of 50 mini-countries (many bigger than whole european countries) plus a number of territories, over a huge chunk of land that would take you some 4 or 5 days to drive across.