Murderers will use whatever weapon they can find. However, a knife or a pitchfork doesn't spray bullets out at a rate of thousands of rounds per minute. Were I to walk into a situation where someone was threatening people with a knife compared with someone on their finger of an Uzi, the odds that I could successfully disarm the guy with the knife or, if I was just cowardly, successfully evade harm would be immeasurably higher.

I happen to believe Americans should be able to have guns but with all the same restrictions we put on any other implement that can cause danger to others. Comparing a knife to a gun is like comparing a minivan to a jet fighter. We can license the driver of the minivan with minimal intrusion into the person's freedoms but, to become a pilot of a jet fighter, the restrictions for licensing and where and how you can use it are incredibly more difficult. If you want a single shot hunting rifle because of your fondness for venison of a 6 shot revolver for under your pillow so you can sleep better, a few simple checks to ensure you're not looney as a jaybird are no big deal. If, as the statistics seem to show, you or your kids end up dead in suicide or accidental shooting, what the hell. It kinda defines natural selection.

However, if you want an assault rifle or machine pistol or a grenade launcher, what's wrong with requiring a higher level of training, background checks, and accountability for one simple reason. You can do so much more harm in such a shorter period of time. Without reloading you can become one of the top serial killers in America before anyone can react.

Art