I am one of those people who would rather see the second amendment amended, or taken out completely. It's difficult, since both sides of my family treat firearms as family heirlooms, and half of them have conceal-to-carry permits.
I can understand the argument of needing self-protection, but more often than not guns are taken from and used against those carrying them. There's also the countless cases of accidental injury or death from improper use/lack of gun safety.
Studies have shown that countries with no-carry laws have lower levels of violence, BUT, most of these countries also have harsher punishments in their justice systems. In order for anything like no-carry laws to be effectively enacted in the US, the criminal justice system would have to be stripped and rebuilt.
There are "precautions" built into purchasing firearms, but they're a laugh. If someone wants to harm you, gun or no gun, they'll find a way to do it. The precautions there are just for those few honest people that aren't going to buy a gun off the street, or at a gun show where background checks are bypassed completely. In Oklahoma, there's not even a waiting period. All you need is an ID (so they can check if you're a felon) and the money.
It's like the "security precautions" at the highschools here; they're a joke. The big metal detectors and backpack searches are easy to dodge if you really wanted to. Even my teachers acknowledged how easy it would be to sneak in a weapon.
So while I'm uncomfortable with guns, I'm not optimistic enough to expect miracles from the government system. As long as there's the possibility of criminals carrying guns, citizens will want to protect themselves. While the pen may be mightier than the sword, many are willing to believe that the best protection against a bullet is another bullet -- and who can blame them?
