>Hi Alan
>
>Let me first apologize for the frustration this stuff causes me.
>
>Some guy on CityTV this morning was talking about bullying in schools. He said empower the bystanders. He said if they knew that even standing there watching and doing nothing, they were actually further hurting the victim, they would stop and do something. I said to myself, they'd leave. ;)
>
>I think he's right to a certain degree. John's right too. It's not the gun. It's the power imbalance guns have created. The so-called government wants to ban guns. Harper wants to put soldiers on the street, when we already have the largest and most expensive police force in Canada. There are too many laws for the average person to keep track of.
>
>Let's ensure EVERYONE has a gun. That way when some crook pulls a gun, 50 other people pull one and no cops and no army required. Nobody would pull a gun if they would be outnumbered 5, 10 or 50 to one. Seems to me this is the heart of the "glory" of the Old West.

Well, it didn't stop an awful lot of blood from flowing until the lawmen came along and restricted gun use.

For my money, the only people who should carry guns are law enforcers. That said, there is no way to ensure or enforce that. One of the biggest problems for my money is the legal system. When someone commits a crime using a gun, I feel it is not enough of a deterrent to hug the person, pat him on the head, tell him we understand his pain, and sentence him to 4 weekends of community service.

Maybe if we do away with the hug...?