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The gun issue is very much a divisive issue between those living in the USA, and those living outside of it. Personally, I don't understand the attachment to such devices who sole purpose is to deal death to another human being.
Most lethal things with no other uses are banned, we don't protest at how poisons or lethal chemicals are restricted, how you're not allowed to carry swords or knives in public.
And in terms of self-defense, I question the overall utility of a gun. A big stick is usually enough, and the average home invader once discovered will never stick around. Most property related crimes will occur when you're not there, or fast asleep!
As for street crime, the mugger(if he's smart) will always ambush you, how useful is a gun when he has a knife at your throat?
And crime isn't even that frequent. There are only 403 violent crimes in the United States per 100,000 people per year, that means that the average person has only about a 1 in 4 chance of ever experiencing a violent crime in their lifetime. Now averages are deceptive, some people will live in violent areas, and might in that case need some degree of protection, and others will live in very peaceful areas, where the crime rate is nigh non-existent.
Not only that, but most of those violent crimes are assaults and rapes, which are all highly likely to be caused by someone known to the victim, or as a result of domestic abuse, and not due to the actions of a random home invader. Robbery only accounts for about a quarter of violent crimes. And of course, many of those violent crimes would not require a gun to defend yourself.
Your average paranoid gun lover will fantasize about the opportunity to finally use his guns to defend his turf and nail the perps, but it will likely never ever happen. Given the infrequency of such crimes, why tolerate the safety risks posed by unregulated arms possession?
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