What are 2013 Quora top writers' opinion break down with respect to gun laws in the United States?

A2A, I would be "A." Also put me down as being of the opinion that Quora has largely exhausted this topic, we really don't need to be rehashing gun control debates with a new question every few days.

Put me down as a solid B+

C+ Those who advocate the status quo are promoting murder and their selfish views mean people will die. Thousands of them. Their refusal to accept regulation means guns are in the hands of the mentally ill, the irresponsible and the criminal. America should be well past the stage of discussing it. The saddest thing about the last shooting is it surprised no one. Killings in the US aren't news. I am sick of hearing bull from gun nuts whilst the dead are buried.

I support *slightly* stricter gun laws. Edit: by stricter I mean background checks at gun shows and the like, not weapon bans, caps on magazine capacity etc.

I support much stricter gun laws. I prefer licensed rental houses, only stocked with a limited number of rifles and shotguns.  And people can only rent one or two at a time, just for hunting.  I'm okay with also using guns at gun ranges.  If any guns go missing, the rental house/gun ranges are held responsible.  I'll never own a gun, and I see guns being used to do horrible things very quickly, which are difficult to contain, so I prefer much less of them out there. I personally have had nightmares of being held at gunpoint, and I've never been in that situation.  If someone had a knife, I might be able to run, but I don't know what I'd do if someone pointed a gun at me.

I support stricter gun laws. I'm probably somewhere between "slightly stricter" and "much stricter". Having said that, I think laws are not the main issue. The main issue, and it's one that's harder to fix, is the cultural view of guns and gun ownership in the US. I would hope that as a society, Americans move to view guns with tremendously more suspicion and respect. The mother of the Newtown killer was a gun enthusiast. I don't wish to make it illegal for people like her to own guns, but I wish for a society where she just wouldn't want to - it would be seen as extremely weird and unusual. And if she had, she wouldn't own assault rifles (that's one area where the law might step in). And if she had, she would hold guns in such reverence that she's never, ever, leave one unattended, unlocked and available for even her own children to get hold of. I hope that people wouldn't think it's reasonable to buy a gun to their 12-year-old or 16-year-old child. The law may set a minimum age, but it's better to just see this not being a preferable option in people's minds. I don't know how to bring about cultural change. Laws are usually counterproductive in that respect. It likely has to so with education, first and foremost. (On mobile. Sorry, not sure how to edit the Wiki).

I am for strict gun control. But I don't know how the US can get to that destination from where it currently is. I live in the UK. In the UK, the typical individual does not own or carry firearms. There is strict regulation and I support it.  The police do not routinely carry firearms.   Other than in airports, we never see weapons outside television shows. And while British people are just as likely to get angry or try to harm others. This usually ends with bad language, fisticuffs or pointy sticks. Consequently the murder rate is much lower.  Illegal firearms are rarely used, and when they are, it is for gang on gang violence.  We don't have those news stories about disaffected young men going on a killing spree. I always feel safe. I don't fear home invasions. I can walk at night. I have never feared for my life.   I do not believe my liberty has been curtailed.   I feel less safe in the US. There are places I would not go. When I see a gun in a police officer's belt, I see that as worrying. But, it's not my place to tell the US how to run itself.   If I lived in a country where everyone else has a gun, I might want one too. And if I were a US politician, I don't know how you convince the electorate that giving up guns would be in their best interests.

The Top Writers I can think of that are active in the topics of Gun Control: , , and myself. Other top writers I see often in the subject which may differ from several I have already seen a2a. That is a sort of population bias which should be avoided. The three of us have had done much more in the topic of gun control so I would suggest you start by reading the answers there.

I'm opposed to gun control laws for the same reason I'm opposed to the war on drugs, it's a failed policy that does not work to prevent crime, it just wastes billions of dollars in enforcement while empowering the criminal element with dangerous black market commodities. Making guns harder to get will eliminate shooting crimes in much the same way that making meth illegal has gotten it off our streets.