I find the gun debate to be endlessly interesting. As of now, I'm not willing to say that I believe that gun ownership ultimately prevents crime, though I am open to changing my mind based on statistics. What bothers me about the debate is that people seem to think about the issue too narrowly. Many people (and many on these boards) seem to believe that more guns = less crime and gun control laws are violating our rights.
The fact of the matter is that gun control laws are good and help prevent crimes. If anything we need more stringent gun control policies, longer waiting periods, more in-depth background checks, etc. I am not saying guns should be outlawed or that law-abiding citizens should not be allowed to own weapons and defend themselves when necessary. However, guns are getting in the hands of aggressive NFL players who have criminal records, drug dealers, and many other people who have violent tendencies. Ideally, the average law-abiding citizen should never have to draw a weapon to defend themselves. It seems like the only way this can happen is to enforce more strict gun control policies to help prevent guns from entering into the hands of people who will use them in aggression against others. Law-abiding citizens who want to own guns should welcome more strict policies. Better gun laws will not affect them other than making them wait longer and go through a more detailed application when they want to get a gun. I realize that some people find ways around the system, but stricter laws will catch some potential aggressors and tighter national security measures have, I'm sure, hurt illegal arms dealers and weapon smugglers.