One of the most contentious issues in recent days and weeks is that of gun control.  It stirs up no shortage of emotion on either side of the fence. Some people literally loathe firearms and their ability to take lives. Yes, yes, I know, people kill people. It's a lot harder with a broken bottle or a blunt object however, so lets keep the argument in the same arena. Other people fiercely defend their right to possess firearms… hunters, sportsmen and those desiring self defense. The right to bear arms is often quoted, and considering we are not a communist bloc nation or a South American dictatorship, it comes in the package of the freedoms we enjoy. Let me state that I am a gun owner, but I do not possess any fear whatsoever that the government is going to take away my gun, or the ability to purchase another should I desire. This seems to be a great fear among gun owners as I have observed in recent weeks. It seems to be the fear that the government, in an attempt to prevent high capacity assault style weapons from ending up in the hands of maladjusted lunatics bearing an angry grudge, will prevent "you" from getting a gun. Are you a maladjusted lunatic bearing an angry grudge ? I certainly hope not. If you're not, perhaps then you don’t have much to worry about. I support background checks. I know people who should not have firearms. Do you ? The person I'm thinking about is a paranoid schizophrenic who hears voices and receives secret messages while watching Jeapordy on television. If he is on his meds he doesn’t hear the voices but talks a lot about them. When he fails to take his meds he hears the voices and I have no clue what they say, and I really don’t want to know. Yes, I have seen this person act out with unpredictable bouts of violence. Im glad he is getting treatment. You think he'd be allright with a .223 Bushmaster ? How about a 12 guage pump action with a pistol grip ? How about a .458 Winchester big game rifle designed to take down an elephant ? How about having this guy move in next door ? Maybe you see my point, then again maybe you feel that this fellow should be able to buy an arsenal to stop the Sioux from reclaiming The Great Plains (which I wouldn’t blame them for attempting but that’s a different debate for a different day). Maybe gun advocates should exercise a little bit of enlightened self interest by supporting proper background checks for angry nutcases. It could actually help to preserve the right which you so cherish, rather than eroding it.  Perhaps what is needed is to operate from a position of confidence rather than from one of fear. Just a thought for what it's worth… I doubt you are going to have to line up at a federal govt dispossesion depot under the watchful eye of National Guard troops and surrender your six shooter.  That said, do you  think this is what the founding fathers had in mind when they penned the 2nd amendment ?