Just to add my two cents:
I'm one of those Americans who learned to shoot when I was young. I have extensive training in weapons from the military, and when I lived in the States I had three rifles - two bolt action; one semi automatic assault rifle. I only used these rifles in Alaska for protection against the Kodiak brown bear, or for sharks that threatened our catch (refer to my
profile pic). I like shooting things, but I
won't shoot animals - unless they threaten me. If I can catch fish, I won't hunt. I have never shot a deer. I've shot rabbits as a kid, but we ate them. When I left the States, I disassembled my guns - wrapped them up in oily rags and left them with my sister back home. That's my personal relationship with guns.
There was an interesting article in the German papers this morning that pointed out that a number of countries allow their citizenry to have weapons at home (Canada, Switzerland, Germany, etc.) yet the crimes rates are low. Its main criticism is that what separates the US from other countries is that Americans are known to resort to violence when they deal with conflict (either imaginary or real). I can identify with this since this is pretty much spot on.
Compounding this, there has always been an underlining "outlaw spirit" wherever you go in the States. And this goes back to the old West where gunmen where romanticized and looked upon as heroes. This cowboy mentality is outdated, but it still plagues us all. When I lived in San Diego, sometimes you could hear gunfire at night. There was no way I'd raise my kids there, and this is one of the main reasons why we left.
There is no argument whatsoever for anyone to own an assault rifle. And if I where to return home right now, I'd turn mine in. Individual states ought to invoke strict licensing towards firearms - as they do in Europe. In Germany hunting rifles and side arms are allowed, but you're going to pay up to Euro 3000-5000 for licensing and training. The only people who have guns are hunters; no one feels threatened by anyone here enough to own a gun. Unfortunately, I don't foresee anything serious happening for another generation or two. The news media pumps up the fear factor daily and people envision imaginary threats.
Quoting the second amendment doesn't cut if for me. The American lifestyle was vastly different 250 years ago, and if the founding fathers were able to see what happened last week, they would have either scratched that one or put an expiration date on it. It should have expired decades ago when craziness started becoming the norm.
If you want home security, get a dog or sleep with a baseball bat next to the bed like I do. Collecting guns that are designed to kill people is ludicrous.