LOL!!!!! GO KRUSTY GO!! WHHOOOWHOOOOO!

That statistic (on gun suicides) must only relate to the US, as I'm sure it's not true for the UK and probably not for any part of Europe. What about Canada?

I suppose the point is that in the US guns are freely available, effectively uncontrolled, and there's no social stigma to having one. So if you want to knock yourself off it's a readily available and convenient method.

I read somewhere that most US police shot are with their own guns (fired by someone else).

Is this what you really want for the US? Surely the ideal of everyone being able to defend themselves and hence their country has gone a bit sour?

Pedro, my thought would be to get rid of the guns too. However, the first 25 years of enforcement would be absolutely brutal on the general populace. Only the bad guys would have the guns. Have you any idea how much of a deterrent it is for the bad guys to NOT know who is carrying, or who has a gun in the house for family protection? The number of bad folks out there is high.

Can't depend on the police. They are just there for cleanup after the fact. 911 is too busy with family disputes, and it is highly doubtful at crunch time that the perps would let you make a phone call anyway. Statistically, I am safer here than anywhere else, but statistics are irrelevant when your plane is going down. Just my opinion, of course.

Your first post makes a lot of sense, Bobber. There would always be a painful transition period, but with planning and resources this could probably be mitigated to some extent.

Your second post is just a depressing admission of defeat. Simply abolishing guns and taking no other measures obviously wouldn't work, and before that was done there would need to be adequate policing measures put in place. Just how, I have no idea! Though I do feel that the "elected" status of local police in small towns is guaranteed to ensure they are not impartial, and IMO it is paramount to change that and make them public servants not subject to dismissal by a fickle electorate. Although they could be local/state employees, there should be some federal oversight of the inner workings of all police forces, to ensure impartiality and uniform standards. In this I think the way it's done in Britain is much better.

Firearm related deaths/100,000
Homicide Canada 0.4 USA 3.98 England 0.15
Suicide 2.0 5.92 0.2
Accident 0.04 0.36 0.03

Ref: Cukier and Sidel (2006) The Global Gun Epidemic

Would full legalization of stun guns mitigate the effects of a transition?

We can argue this forever, and nothing will change much. Wherever there are sheep, there will be wolves. Human nature. Unfortunately, this is not going to change. I see the references in the world to the US being a bunch of cowboys. I also see reports coming out of European countries, UK included, of the great efficiency of the police in preventing crimes (yeah, right). More laws, more government control, more social programs, more this, more that. Yet, we are awash in victims. General consensus is that victims, individually, have no rights. By the time they become "victims", it is too late for them. Do you want your government to provide for your safety as an individual? No doubt they would do a stellar job, as their efficiency has been proven at such things. Just my opinion, of course. As most of the liberal people have pointed out many times, the government should stay out of their lives (but should definitely interfere with others lives) I am a cynic on this subject, as I don't see human nature changing.

No argument here on you being a cynic, Bobber! Sorry to hear about your local police force.

Bobber, sad to hear about your lack of hope for mankind as well.