Quoted:
Hand guns are made for killin'
Ain't no good for nothin' else
And if you like your whiskey
You might even shoot yourself
So why don't we dump 'em people
To the bottom of the sea
Before some fool come around here
Wanna shoot either you or me.

and besides....THEY ARE LOUD

How about " a southern man don't need you around, anyhow"? How about that Officer Tirdwhistle?

Well, for what it's worth, here's my reply to these misguided souls.    The 'fact' is there ARE guns, and there are a lot of them. There are also a LOT of cars, hammers, knives, baseball bats, etc. These are all items that have been and are currently used to kill. It is also a 'fact' that humans have been killing each other throughout recorded history and beyond with whatever was/is available; rocks, sticks, spears, swords, bows, poison, guns, bombs, etc. The point is, a gun, ANY gun, is a tool like any of the above mentioned items. As such, it can be put to a beneficial use or a detrimental use, or more simply; good or bad. Statistically, more people are killed by cars per year than by guns. FBI statistics show that hammers were used to kill more people than long guns(rifles, shotguns). If, somehow, ALL guns ceased to exist EVERYWHERE, the criminals, the deranged, and suicidal, would simply find another 'tool' to kill with. The core issue that the arguement about guns misses is that violence, regardless of which 'tool' is used, is a social problem. The question should not be what a criminal or psychopath used (and how he got it) to perform his act, but WHY he did it. We need to be examining our own societies to their core and affect real changes to eliminate elements that lead a person to a criminal act. Education, including firearms safety,(after all most schools have driving classes to teach the safe use of a car, and shop classes to teach the safe and proper use of tools, including hammers) needs to be a priority. We need to reassess the value we, as a society place on GOOD teachers. Their income should exceed that of government beauraucrats and administrators. And that is just the tip of a really big iceberg. Unfortunately, I think it is easier for most people to blame an inanimate object rather than reevaluate how we live our lives, or allow our lives to be led, which makes this a very steep uphill battle.  I have never seen a hammer swing at something without a hand holding it, never seen a knive cut something without a hand holding it, and I've never seen a gun fire without a hand touching or holding it.  Stop blaming the tool. Blame the person whose hand is holding the tool.    I know I've addressed a very complex issue somewhat simplisticly, but it's just a post, not a dissertation.