Fair point, but I was also getting at the high rate of crime compared to other nations, even those that have lots of guns. Switzerland, for example, has a high rate of gun ownership among its male adult population, yet about a fith of the homocide rate to America. (Taking into account population size, before you say that). I guess then that it must be a culture/society issue...
You're right guns don't kill people, people do.. but maybe if they didn't have a gun it might not have happened? But there are lots of conflicting studies on this so I am prepared to accept gun ownership might not increase gun crime, although it is something I do not personally agree with.
As for this constitutional right to bear arms, this stems back to the old "colonial/frontier" days when there wasn't much of an organised police force, natives could attack or an invasion by a foreign power. Nowadays America is much more threatened by terrorists than an actual invasion, and terrorist would benefit most from such availability of guns, wouldn't you say?
