Hey bro, calling me a troll and other insults just because you disagree with what I'm saying is totally out of line.

People talk tough and think they could take on bad guys any time. Maybe you are every bit as hard as you sound. Maybe your wife really could beat any knife-wielding psycho with a baseball bat. If it's true, power to you. But if you've never done it for real, you just don't know what you're talking about.

I've been in a couple of violent confrontations myself and I know for a fact (a sad fact it is) very few people can handle themselves. The ones that talk tough are usually the first to crap their pants.

In an ideal world, an armed population would be able to protect themselves against crime. In reality, it doesn't work that way at all. The vast majority of people just lack the guts and skills to defend themselves, let alone others. Then there's the legal system that may well screw you up if you do stand up and fight back. All it takes is a judge who thinks you used "excessive" force and you'll end up in jail. Now that's TEOTWAWKI. Do I think that's ok? Hell no. But it's a fact of life and something that can't be changed just like that so you'd better take it into consideration.

But it's not even the point. What I'm saying is there are many places in the world where a lot of people legally own guns and the crime rate is very low (think of Switzerland, Finland). In most developed countries gun laws are very strict. Few people own weapons and the crime rate is low (most of Europe, Japan etc.). There are plenty of guns in the US and the crime rate is high (so clearly, something isn't working perfectly). In some parts of the world there are even more guns per capita and the crime rate is extreme.

This would suggest that gun ownership in itself has little to do with maintaining law and order. As a rule, what actually stops crime is a well run state with an effective government, happy citizens, good economy, responsive law enforcement and a good legal system. Just arming the population will do little to ensure the safety of the population if the other factors are not present.

Anyway, have fun discussing the topic but please keep the tone down. It's an online forum, not your local watering hole. As for the mods, feel free to delete my posts if you think that'll keep the tone civil.

Now I'm really outta here - peace and wishing you all a good day!