I'm probably making light of a serious issue but this is the perfect example of the US psyche...
New York Jets NFL team ship 350 toilet rolls to London - BBC News
Make note of the point the intern makes 'the toilet paper is thin because the plumbing isn't good'....thats typical US logic...kinda like Cashys OP when he said that arming students would help defend against gun crime.
I'm not supporting the NRA or the nutjob 'right to bear arms under the constitution' mob...but...
Most of us live in a country where we can't get more than 10-15 miles away from a town or city. We have no animals that prey on us, worst we have to put up with when we pitch a tent are ants, spiders, wind and rain.
Dunno if any of you have watched various stuff about Alaska on the National Geographic channel...but, having a gun out there is an absolute necessity, and I'd imagine the same for some areas of other states in the US.
Its really easy for us to look at the USA and say why don't they just ban guns..but as Eric says their central government doesn't work like ours and each state has different needs and in some places you need a gun.
Was talking to a guy online a couple of weeks ago during his 72 hour trip on a bus from California to Minnesota, also talked to a guy who had never seen the sea....it's hard for us insular Brits to comprehend the distances involved between help arriving and the need to protect ourselves until they do