"felton" wrote
I have to wonder about the gun issue.

It isn't really a gun issue, it is a religious issue. Nobody went to prison
a couple centuries ago. Criminals were fined, whipped and tortured,
subjected to public embarassment, or executed. But these punishments
horrified certain religious sects who believe only God should punish sinners
and they began lobbying to instead lock dangerous offenders away in
'penetentiaries', there to do penence and reflect on their sins. Our current
prison system is the result - and thanks to this system criminals no longer
fear the law as much as they do their victims. A young gang banger who
shares a flat with 6 brothers and sisters isn't afraid of doing a few months
in his own cell with his own TV and access to a gym - and that only after 3
or 4 convictions. He's a lot more concerned about some home owner shooting
him while he's burgling their house - and so are the religious kooks.
They're working overtime to make self defense a crime! They don't mind
hunting or target shooting, they just want to protect criminals so they
argue against "guns with no sporting purpose" - the kinds of guns intended
for self defense. These ivory tower clerics divert $millions intended for
church maintenance, missions, and charity to specialists like Sara Brady who
in turn spread lies and half truths that convince the ignorant that guns
cause crime.