From Wiki:
What are the laws about gun ownership in Saudi? Are they talking about select fire automatics?
I’m not sure. I suspect it was higher–I lived in Anchorage, which is “big city” for Alaska, and it certainly had its share of property and violent crimes.
Here in Victoria, we seem to have a lot of property crimes, assaults, stabbings and suchforth, but a death by shooting would be very big news. In Anchorage, a death by shooting would not be considered such an extraordinary event.
This is citeless, I’m sorry.
Edited to add: Both Victoria and Anchorage are minor port cities with military bases and tourism, but the culture is quite different. Anchorage still, in the 90s, had a bit of a “frontier” feeling, whereas Victoria until recently, was quite settled and opposed to change. We’re just now putting up tall buildings!
This may have been true at one time, but during the Clinton administration they raised the fee for FFL’s from about $50 to $600 and added a significant number of reporting requirements, forcing a lot of the “out of the garage” dealers out of business.
Just another data point:
My father is a dorky engineer and my mom is what I might describe as a very socially liberal old school Republican. Both inherited several hunting rifles from their parents – on my mother’s side because they died, father’s side because they don’t exactly hunt much in Florida. All these rifles are stored under lock and key (with no ammo to be found).
Also, my dad keeps a loaded shotgun under his side of the bed and a pistol – bought by my mom – in his bedside drawer, both for home defense.
Where I grew up in rural Ohio it was very normal, even routine. Most of the guys I knew in middle school had .22 rifles, and I bought one for myself when I was 17. (My mother signed the legal forms, but it was my money.) I’ve owned a gun or several guns of some sort ever since. My budget has always been limited, so I’ve never been able to get what I would consider “mainstream” weapons, like a Glock pistol or or a Remington varmint rifle. I’ve owned a few military surplus weapons, a cheap (but sturdy and serviceable) bolt-action 16-gauge shotgun, a pump-action .22 that belonged to my grandfather, etc. Right now I still own that rifle and shotgun, but they are at my parents’ house. WIth me I only have a 9mm pistol and a .22 revolver.
In my experience, the closer I move to NYC/N.J., the more negative people get about guns. A coworker who grew up in Brooklyn explained it to me this way: In his neighborhood, the only people with guns were cops and hoods. So if you weren’t a cop, what did having a guns say about you?
Is this really a fear that keeps you awake at night? 
I’d have one in my house if I lived in NYC - and some other places in the US. Hell, I might even carry it concealed.
And I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone thought about me.
How much does a Glock go for?
Answered my own question -
They run in the area of ~$500 according to this website:
Where are you from? There is a good chance your crime rate is higher than NYC.
Aren’t you enlightened. And I take it you don’t get into Mac/PC wars, or Linux vs windows, or XBox vs PS/3, or HO trains vs N scale, or…
When people bomb into threads to declare that people who have a passion for something are ‘rabid’ and make no sense, it seems to me that it’s just a way of atempting to assert their superiority. Then the same people will enage in a heated debate with someone over whether Denby china is better than Mikasa, or rank their favorite rally bike manufacturers in order.
Everyone has passions. You don’t understand gun owners or car lovers or sports lovers? Look in a mirror before you cast stones. And if you really don’t have any passions like this about the things in your life well… I feel sorry for you.
I live in Brookfield CT.
I don’t think I’m in a high crime town, but fire away, DanBlather. 
In a neighboring town we recently had a Board of Ed member nailed for throwing a booze party for his high school kid and friends. The moron resigned in disgrace.
In the area, we have a murder once every five years or so, most notably the airline pilot who murdered his wife and put her parts in a wood chipper which puree-ed them and then sloshed them into a nearby lake.
Here in England, if I remember correctly:
- farmers are only allowed shotguns (which have to be licenced)
- sports shooters are not allowed handguns (after Dunblane )
- antique collectors are not allowed workable guns
- only a few special units of police have guns (not the beat cops)
- extra legal penalties for criminals using guns
So if someone has a handgun here, they’re either specially trained police or criminals.
The above makes gun ownership incredibly rare here.
Oh sure, pick “Happyville, USA”, that’s not fair. 
Far as I can tell Brookfield had 27 crimes/1000 in 2000 vs NYC’s 31/1000.
I own a gun–several in fact. I consider it optional for people to own one, but not a requirement. I consider it normal for people to act upon their wishes, desires, and available options. I consider owning a gun “normal”.
Also, just recently, I applied for and was issued a concealed carry permit. Do I carry? Haven’t yet. But now I legally have the option.
Tripler
Do I need one? No. But I thank God I have the option to own one, and that’s why I do.
I met 6 guys from my old high school days about 10 years ago. As we were drinking beer and reminiscing it came out that I was the only one not carrying.
See? It’s the Garden of Eden before the fall.
No. But it doesn’t mean my reasoning is flawed.
I live in the city where the largest gun show in the US is held. It is held in the IPE building, close to half a million square feet, with no inside supports. Over a thousand tables of guns of all kinds, old and new. When the show is held you can’t park within a mile of the place unless you are an official. I went to the last show just to look around, cost me $10. I was there about three hours and saw about half of it. The gun sales were brisk I was told by a dealer. I think guns are common, especially in my part of the country. Can’t say whether that is good or bad, depends on their use.
Can you get good deals at Gun Shos? You know, like go on the last day and pick up a pretty good Glock at a pretty good price?