The real issue here is not about firearms. The issue is about the RIGHT to own a firearm. What will it take to make people understand that the "gun" isn't doing the killing. The root of the problem is in the belief in violence. Removing guns from the scenario would not eliminate the belief in violence as a remedy for conflict. A person's weapon of choice is secondary.

You simply fail to understand or are not familiar with our nation's history. Firearms have are indelible in the American Psyche as being synonymous with freedom. The right to bear arms was fundemental to securing our nation's sovereignty from the British.

If the RIGHT to own a firearm is taken away it would symbolically represent an infringement on American freedom since our freedom was originally based on personally having to defend ouselves and our families against attack on our soil by the British. You see, we the people WERE the militia.

In a dictatorship, one of the first steps taken to seize control is to disarm the people and neutralize their ability to revolt.