Dear o sung wu,

I am both an American and Australian citizen. John Howard by his actions reduced the gun carnage in Australia. It seems impossible due to the different structure of laws and political parties in the US and Australia for the president of the US to do the same.

Raising the minimum age for a male driver's license and gun ownership and banning assault weapons for all except those entitled to use them in their profession seems reasonable. Young females seem less prone to show off and take risks.

Suicide by car is probably much more common than seems apparent.
Most times when someones car swerves into the path of another vehicle it may be suicide, mostly it’s put down to falling asleep or just inattention.
In Sydney there is an ever present, 24/7/365, means of suicide, namely the suburban trains.

Hi David.

You are absolutely correct, a gun's only purpose is to wound, kill or threaten, could add to that target practice like Issy enjoys. There is no correlation between the purpose of a gun and that of a car, its a deflective argument because the gun ownership argument is extremely weak.

A hypothetical; the crime rate is on the rise, robberies, assaults, murders, the drug trade is getting out of hand etc, etc. The government in its wisdom decides that all citizens should have the right to gun protection. Gun ownership is encouraged with TV advertising, the "free guns for pensioners" scheme is working well, taxpayer subs for guns, every copper now looks like RoboCop. The murder rate was up there with Tijuana Mexico at 138 per 100,000, unemployment, poverty, etc etc is all there in society.

Down at the local supermarket a large number of shoppers are in attendance, 200 to 300, there is a special on 'Chilli Beans' this week 3 cans $1. In isle 6 there is a scream "ROBBERY" Mavis has realised 'Tiny Taters' which last shop were $2 a pack are now 5 bucks, "ROBBERY" she screams again. Donna on register 3 pulls out her AK47, Donna has been held up 4 times this week and its only Tuesday, she gives a quick burst to settle things down, hitting Mr Dildas the store manager. Charlie the shelf packer runs from "out the back" believing a robbery is in progress lets loose with his semi-auto in the hope he gets the bad guy before he kills someone. Pensioner George in the soup isle sees a kid in a hoody, an obvious criminal with bad intentions, George pulls out his concealed government pistol, fires, missing the hoody kid, but hitting a woman with purple hair, and a screaming tot in mums shopping trolley. Mr Dildas, although morally wounded is able to calm shoppers and assure them 'Tiny Taters' are not $5, that was a pricing error, and there are plenty of 'Chilli Beans' still on special. things then return to normal.

Reduce murders, increase accidental shootings!

Those who say that a gun is only designed to kill etc., are demonstrating their ignorance of the subject on which they are holding forth. The variety of designs of Zimmerstutzen are designed only for indoor target shooting at ranges of around 12 feet, the earlier ones are muzzle loading and the more modern breech loading, then there are log splitting guns and very useful, time and money saving, furnace cannon.
Again there are stun guns which fire a captive bolt and are not dangerous except ar zero range.
Let us not forget signalling guns, line throwing guns and alarm guns all of which are safety devices.

Dear Is Mise,

Guns are used as weapons and for other purposes. There have been a series of shootings resulting in deaths and wounding. To the best of my knowledge log splitting guns, furnace cannon, stun guns, guns which fire a captive bolt, signalling guns, line throwing guns and alarm guns have not been used in any the shooting and wounding of people. It is guns used as weapons that are the problem. Those guns used for other purposes apparently have not been used as weapons.

David
You said that a gun has no purpose than to kill wound or threaten, good to see that you’ve changed your mind.