No, I do not believe that American law should be changed so that citizens do not have the right to carry guns, it is a Constitutional right to do so. However, I do believe that automatic and semi-automatic weapons should be banned. In 1968 the US Federal government established the Gun Control Act which prohibits individuals under the age of 18 from buying guns, those with criminal records, those who are mentally disabled, unlawful aliens, and dishonorably discharged military personnel. If clear processes were established country wide and implemented this Act along with the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requiring background checks, could circumvent many of the firearm issues the US faces. I think that adopting laws such as Australia's modern firearm law prohibiting automatic and semiautomatic assault rifles, stronger licensing and ownership rules, demonstration of "genuine need" for a firearm, and establishing a firearm buyback program could go a long way in preventing firearm misuse. But until the US government takes a proactive stance with firearms they will always be in a reactive state.

I'm considerably less worried about guns in America than I am about ignorance and intolerance. And those two go hand in hand like a sweet old couple at a KKK rally. Sure, guns kill people. But sometimes that's not such a bad thing. Anyone comes near me with murdereous intent, I want to know I can deal with that situation. The problem is more that murderous intent is itself a product of stupidity and the crazy beliefs it leads people to have - about race, about sexuality, about someone feelig they have the right to kill another because their beliefs and/or behaviours are so offensive to them that the only solution is to put a bullet in their head. Problem being, America like any society has a vested interest in keeping people stupid because more intelligent, educated, and aware people might stop being angry with targets determined by big business/religion/political parties and instead realise it's those very institutions which lead them to shoot one another. The right to bear arms is not a problem - it was always about citizens being able to protect themselves from government. And resality is that government helps determine who people will use their weapons on through the implicit and exlicit messages it sends.