Do you think it is normal having firearms?

[Parokki]

I've come to believe that people almost unfailingly support the gun legislation of wherever they live when the topic comes up, and this thread seems to reinforce that belief. For example my country (Finland) has, despite the high amount of firearms, very strict gun laws and I don't see anything wrong with it.

Basically most guns here are either hunting weapons, low-caliber target practice guns, or WW2-era war booty. Gun permits require a reason for the fire arm, self-defence not being a valid reason, and only licensed security guards or the police may carry guns in public. There is some disagreement with the EU over hunting legislation, as Finland has an extremely long history with hunting being popular all layers of society, going back to the medieval days of peasants in Sweden-Finland owning their own land, while most of Europe seems to consider hunting a snobby hobby for the filthy rich, and is keen on restricting it.

All in all, I think this system works very, very well.

Career criminals, nutcases who seriously plan things through, and the like can still get their hands on guns, but at a much greater difficulty and expense than otherwise, and random crimes of passion are much reduced. People will continue to kill with knives etc, but the body count in such cases is almost invariably much lower. I find the prospect of not being able to carry a gun around to defend myself preferable to the thought of increasing the risk of someone attacking me with one.

I believe it's in the end better for a society to have fewer guns around, but tightening regulations in the United States (which most people here seem to be primarily concerned with) probably wouldn't work too well. There are so many guns in circulation already, so many people consider it their fundamental right to own them, and as far as I understand it, the structure of your government means legislation can never be truly unified across country.

I could say more, but I think I'll stop and see if anyone cares first. =P