>>So in respect to crimes committed with guns the issue is not guns but poverty. To focus on guns only is actually doing the real problem a disservice. It is easy to focus on guns, it is a great political soapbox, a vote garner, but detracts from the far more complex and costly to solve root problem. It looks like we are doing something, looks like we are doing the right thing but we are potentially doing more harm to society by not paying attention to and addressing the root cause of the crime - poverty.
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>Isn't this also true for pro-gunners who claim they need the gun for their own safety?

Once society guarantees (and demonstrates that the guarantee is iron-clad) our protection from criminals, then we won't find a need to defend ourselves.

Until then, there is absolutely no justification for taking away a person's ability to defend himself, his family, and his property. None.