You do realize that this sounds slightly paradox?

Yes. People aren't addicted to guns though, so the added threshold might actually work, at least for enough people to get overall gun ownership (and consequently, irresponsible gun handling and storage) down. In any case, it would prevent people from getting guns casually. It's pretty hard to change an existing culture though, and I guess as long as average people owning guns is considered normal, I doubt there'd be any room for banning them, whereas here in good old Europe, most people would be disgusted to learn that their neighbor carries a gun, and I haven't seen anyone question the fact that legally getting one requires considerable paperwork. Kind of a vicious circle.

You make it sound as if the entire population was at war with each other. WTF. We're humans, we're supposed to be social beings. I'd rather be mugged a few times and lose a few hundred than take someone's life. Simply not worth it.

Interesting. So programming in Python is like carrying a loaded gun at all times? Food for thought.

OH CANADA

O CANADA, ON LOAM AND ABLATIVE SAND

O CANADA, MY HAND MY YARD MY PEE

Back in '76 we were running down the beach in San Diego and found a human leg, but there'd been a small plane crash a few days previous.

Actually it was 4 platoons USMC running down the beach, and some drill instructors clustered around this leg until one mental giant kicked it, and when the underside became exposed, the ungodly stench caused everybody to clear the area pretty quick.

Lemme see... 2012 - 1976 = 36 years and I haven't forgotten it, check. OTOH, there's a lot of things in this thread I'll never forget.

This Luka Magnota guy cut this asian dude up and sent his body parts to schools and government head quarters, and in the same week there was a shooting at Eaton Center mall. Funny thing was that my Fiance and I were planning on going to Eaton Center that day but on our way there we decided to go to another mall. Had we gone to Eaton Center we might've been caught in the cross fire because at the exact same time we were also in the food court of the other mall (the shooting happened at Eaton Center's food court).

COOL STORY BRO

Same guys we just said were okay because they had 'training on how to handle guns', yet it seems a little unprofessional to sit around starring at a severed leg and then one of them to kick it.

No, even the "Leave It To Beaver" couch potato types know you find a body or parts to call the police. Just some idiots find it more morbid and funny to mess with it instead of calling the proper authorities. Makes me think of the Casey Anthony case, wife was watching a part where they were questioning the guy that found the little girls body. He said he didn't know what to do so he called a few of his buddies over. He claimed that they were more interested in a dead snake instead of a human skull in a trash bag. For some, certain things hold more entertainment doing the sick things than doing the right thing and apparently the UMSCs that day didn't want to do the right thing (as the instructors are normally veteran soldiers that should have known better too).

[REVISION]
Okay, I'm just going to stop pu$$y footing around it. All the mentalities that people shouldn't have guns is part right, but right for the wrong reason. Strict guns laws again won't fix it. Training has nothing to do with it either. I know how to properly handle M-16, Ak-47, .306, .45, 9mm, Tech9, magnums, etc. with no training, just by firing them and learning how to use them by shooting at paper targets. Background checks only stop guys with records from getting them legally. The only thing that matters is the person's mental state as to whether they should have one or not. Columbine, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech are just examples where they obviously were mentally unfit to have firearms, but the background checks came back with no red flags from the FBI so they got them. No state will bother paying for psychiatric evaluations so the gun problem will always be there no matter what.

I read that as "I want a perfectly risk-free existence no matter what".

I was reading something in the last couple of days where your risk of death due to terrorist activities is on par with your risk of death from your own furniture.

Let's outlaw cars, since they kill so many more people than guns do.

This is wrong on so many levels...

What? I admit that terrorism does kill people occasionally? They use quite a few things besides guns, like AIRPLANES! It could have been cars if they'd collapsed a bridge or something. Let's outlaw airplanes and bridges. I'd rather risk a bullet than a 200 meter fall.

I forgot that, thanks!