text: Ward 1:  I'm not sure about the "barbaric past".  I fear the world is as (or possibly more) barbaric today than any time in the past.....and, yes, I find that very distressing.  
  
  Guns, whether you or I or anyone else likes or doesn't like it, are part of today's life.  With over 300 million of them in private ownership and that ownership Constitutionally protected. they will not disappear.  I think it's far more sensible and realistic to seek ways to decrease their misuse.  Each year tens of thousands of Americans die from gunshot wounds......accidental, self-inflicted, and intentional.   We need to work together to significantly decrease that number.  We need to work to keep guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them.  Additionally, we need to address the personal and emotional problems (mental illness, including depression and PTSD), substance abuse (a significant number of gun deaths involve alcohol or drug use) which contribute heavily to gun deaths.   regards, Gary