>>>>>>No, it's not a mixed message. Teenagers aren't allowed to have guns. Criminals will get guns, knives, etc no matter what it takes. The message is this - it isn't the gun, knife, tire tool, baseball bat, etc. it's the thug holding it.
>>>>>
>>>>>Yes but its a lot easier in a flash of temper to kill or maim someone with a gun than with fist knife or baseball bat.
>>>>
>>>>That sounds reasonable, but I doubt you can prove it. If a person doesn't have a gun, but has a knife, and they are intent on killing the other person . . . .
>>>
>>>I'm not an expert John but I've seen a few traffic related fights here in the uk where I'm sure if the people involved had been carrying guns there would have been sever injury or death. And its a two way thing. The shooter goes to prison possibly for life (thats one wasted life) and the victim is another wasted life.
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>>>I know a few years ago we had real neighbour noise problems. If I'd had access to a gun I could easily imagine getting to the point where I would have threatened someone with it and the its only a small step or an accident to actually shoot and kill someone.
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>>Didn't you have any Knives?<g>
>
>No I phoned my friendly local US air base and told them Osama was hiding there.

And they said sorry, they were tied up in Iraq ;-)