Do criminals in any "gun free" nations still find ways of getting and using weapons?

Yeah whenever you hear on the news that a gun was involved in a crime you know the guy will get caught in a few days

Yeah, and it nearly always is that way. I'm glad we still think it's serious to end a life. Can't imagine not doing.

Outlawing guns seems to empower the criminals in the Us as most of the shootings occur in the states who have the strictest gum laws.

@katielass: Admittedly, it's a different situation as the country is awash with machinery to kill each other. But isn't the obvious position to slowly back away and look to the future?

@GlassDog: I don't know, I think it's a cultural thing. Guns have always been in our hands, heads and hearts. Not everyone you understand but it's cultural. I would like to see laws that add say 20 years to any sentence you get for committing a crime. That might seem extreme but extreme is what is needed. The idea is to make someone think before they use a gun to rob the 7-11. WOW an extra 20 years, not worth it. So with no gun, less chance the clerk will be killed. Won't work every time but I think it would save a significant number of lives. At the least, it's worth a try. You'd think someone would have thought of that, and they have, but its been ejected because its "too harsh".

@katielass: I guess not only cultural but constitutional. That can be a very hard thing to back away from when it is so deep-rooted.

I have to admit, my biggest concern about guns isn't criminality but mental health. It's said that 25% of people have a mental health issue which can impair judgement. I've always held the opinion that to own a weapon that can so easily end life, people should have a psychological evaluation first.

Of course, this is reinforced somewhat now because the person I was closest to on the site was murdered by her husband last year and he then shot himself, leaving a small child who saw it all happen and who now has to live with it. They were both ex-military and some would argue this is enough to attest to their safety around guns. It's really not, though.

@GlassDog: Yes, there is the constitutional right, so ingrained in us. Although there are those who desperately want to curtail and even take that right away from us. I also have the same concerns about mental health but as you surely know you can be perfectly sane and then suffer severe depression. Example, me. I used to own a gun but when my hubby suffered from severe clinical depression about 10 years ago I got rid of it because I was afraid I'd come home one day and find he had used it to take his life. Not everyone has someone who can or will remove the gun. And there can be an argument made that if someone wants to take their life they don't have to use a gun, there are so many other ways. But a gun is quick. I'm sorry to hear about your friend, truly I am.