would you support a constitutional amendment to ban handguns?

[David S]

Well let's put it this way; I have guns and you don't. Try taking mine away from me.

Mitty by your own admission you would not get the saturday night specials off the street. That means the honest people who obey the law would be disarmed by your proposal while the street thugs, who don't obey the law,  would be armed to the teeth. Do you like the idea of innocent people having no means of defending themselves against violent armed thugs?

Why is it that all of your ideas involve regulating other people's lives? Don't you like freedom?

[David S]

Guns are a serious threat to human life and should be treated as such.

Yet, with millions of handguns, the total deaths by firearm number roughly 30,000 a year, half of which are suicides which I don't think you can really blame the gun for.

Speaking of suicide, in Japan the suicide rate is more than double what it is here. http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suiciderates/en/
In fact their combined rate of suicide and homicide is also higher than ours. In Japan handguns are outlawed and that fact is frequently cited as the reason for Japan's low homicide rate. So how come they have such a high suicide rate?

[David S]

Speaking of suicide, in Japan the suicide rate is more than double what it is here. http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suiciderates/en/
In fact their combined rate of suicide and homicide is also higher than ours. In Japan handguns are outlawed and that fact is frequently cited as the reason for Japan's low homicide rate. So how come they have such a high suicide rate?

Cultural differences, one of the many reasons why it's very difficult to make valid comparisons internationally when it comes to guns and various other issues.

Well I'm tempted to say the Japanese are committing suicide because they are so depressed over the lack of guns. But actually I think your assessment is exactly correct, cultural differences. But no one ever considers that as a possible explanation for their low murder rate.