>I don't think it's an interesting question of any sort; it seems to
>me that it's merely a footnote in the question about violent
>crime. Which is where this thread started but (as usual) couldn't stay.
It didn't stay there because I mentioned that Archer, who was introduced because he has something to say about the culture of violence in the U.S., also says guns have something to do with it. I agree with you that guns are not *the* problem and I think the more important question is to get at the roots of violent confrontation. But I think guns are more than a footnote. You can talk about national statistics and make the gun part of the equation look almost insignificant, but death by gun, including suicide, is not a footnote in this country.