[jyl]

Guns seem to be like abortion, religion, and modern art - it's hard to have a calm, on-topic discussion about them.

The people who think they are a sacred right of manhood and the only thing that stops the black helicopters from swooping down and enslaving us all - crackpots.

The people who think guns should be outlawed and that all gun owners are the kind of people described in the preceding sentence - crackpots too.

What's wrong with the non-hysterical truth? Guns, if handled and stored properly by mature persons, are fun to shoot, interesting to collect, and safe. They also may have some self-defense value, and can have some self-reassurance value. Although a dog is a lot more effective.

I've had quite a few guns, used to do a lot of shooting, still have a couple of handguns stored away. When my kids are old enough, I'll take them to the range and teach them to shoot.