Goodbye, Lady Liberty.
Let's all give a hearty welcome to Lady Authority.
Official approval required for *all* decisions!

No wait, even better: all decisions already made for you.
Obey, puny slave!

If the USA is the *worst* nation in the world for gun deaths, and they can only come up with 1.4%, then there's really no argument for excessive gun control laws.

Methinks your perception of American gun deaths is more informed by "CSI Miami" than the real world.
*Everybody* gets shot on TV!

Gun laws are only followed by the law-abiding anyway.
Criminals, by definition, *don't* obey the law!

The criminals *already* have guns, and will still have them, no matter what laws you make.
Who are you "protecting"?

Actually Shockadelic, who are 'you' protecting?

All of your commentary reeks of acceptance of gun death.
You keep saying 1.4 per cent is negligible and it can safely be ignored.

Your attitude can only result in either the situation remaining static, or more likely, getting worse. Nowhere is there any hint of how gun deaths could be reduced.

Screw that. Life's more valuable than your desire to own a gun.

The day we sit back and say a certain amount of death is fine, we've lost a far more important battle.

As far as the rest of your rhetoric goes, it's just that. When you're resorting to diatribes like CSI Miami (I don't really watch much TV) you're on a losing battle.

As for the "oh, my government's ruling me! How unfair! Let me be free!" you're quite welcome to go to say, Colombia.
I hear the gun laws are much more lax there.

And in relation to your 'lets make suicide easy' posts, you're a dangerous idiot. Depression is a mental condition that can often be treated.

1.4% gun deaths is not wonderful, hip hip hooray. I never said that.
But it's a reasonable, realistic level.

If just 1.4% of Americans died next year from some new disease and it remained at this level for years, would this be cause for alarm and panic?

If 1.4% of Americans woke up blind tomorrow, this would be unfortunate, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

If 1.4% of American employees lost their jobs this year, would the whole economy grind to a halt?

And don't lecture to me about depression, Sonny.
I've been down that road, and the thing that got me out of it was my sense of humour.

If I took everything ultra-seriously, and became a pedantic worrywart like you, then I'd still be depressed or I'd have killed myself by now.

You reap what you sow.

What do you think you're reaping with your negative, pessimistic, restrictive approach?

Your sentiments lead to the perception of "Man As Monster", a despicable, horrid creature that can't be trusted to make their own decisions, a devil who can't be believed or loved.

You are helping *create* the very thing you claim to not want: depressed suicidal people, who can't stand themselves because they'll never live up to your impossible angelic standards.

I reap what I sow too.

Light-heartedness, trust in myself and my judgment, liberal principles, acceptance of human nature, realism, not expecting or even wanting people or their world to be perfect.

Who's approach do you think will lead to more depression and suicide?

"Gloom and Doom" is not going to produce "Sunshine and Lollipops", is it?

I suspect you're actually a sadomasochist who unconsciously gets off on tragedy, pain and suffering, then feels guilty about it, and rails at the decadence of your enemies.

Without all that pain and suffering, you'd be lost.
Your life would lose all meaning and you'd become one of those poor depressed souls you pretend to care about.

You reap what you sow: Gloom and Doom. Depression. Suicide.

Shockadelic - I'm the one who's saying we ought to try and improve the gun death situation, rather than just say 'oh well, 1.4 per cent ain't bad.'

As far as the rest goes, I'm actually a hell of an optimist. I just think introducing more guns into Australian society, when it's quite clear that American gun deaths are higher than ours, is stupidity, plain and simple, that would get people killed.
I'd be remiss if I didn't speak out against those who seem to think this is a good idea.

Plus, I'm not the guy who is insinuating that it should be easy for people to commit suicide. It'd an entirely different kettle of fish to voluntary euthanasia, and your earlier posts show a dangerous naivete in regard to the matter.

Voluntary euthanasia *is* suicide!
You are choosing to die.

Does it occur to you that some people are killing themselves with guns because voluntary euthanasia is *illegal* in most places?

Guns are just a sure-fire substitute for your preferred method.

You want to take guns away from people who *can't* get legal euthanasia!
What is it you want?

Do people have the right to die or not?
Legal "approval" may be impossible!