Boofhead,
I think you need to look again at your figures. Your 9000 police related shootings seems abit high. If I read the PDF correctly the figure 270 seems more accurate. only 8730 deaths different from yours!!!
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http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/pdf/nvsr50_15TB18.pdf[/URL]
Reading your post, you seem to be able to dismiss 30'000 deaths a year rather easily.
So the 30,000 becomes just a couple of thousand. Still more than the UK, sure, but on a per capita basis not so bad
"" Not so Bad!!!!"" Come on Boofhead if one of those couple of thousand was someone you loved, I think your post would have a different slant to it.
I agree with you ,in part, that it is the person which is responsible for what happens. However, as sad as it is to say, I think that the average Joe on the street is not responsible enough to own a firearm. The public needs to be protected from themselves. That's why they have seatbelt laws and you still see people driving without one. "Duhhh, I might not be able to get out if the car catches fire Duuuh"