Wow man, that sounds familiar.
That's interesting because I recall numerous detailed multi-page debates on this board on the subject that are, for the most part, polite. I have take part in many of them. Don't recall many that have been locked.
Now, do the foreign gun control proponents find themselves outnumbered. Sure. While there are a few US posters that are pro gun control there really is no comparable "grass roots" movement to speak of in the US. You have some big city mayors who promote guns as the major source of inner city crime as a distraction to problems they (and we as a society) lack the will to address directly. You see a handful of true believers largely funded by the Joyce Foundation and Soros. You see a media that generally believes in a European model for society, guns included. And you have seen (though that is changing) a Democratic party that made gun control a platform plank in the past no doubt related to the big city/Democrat power base.
But, for the vast majority of the people living in the US there is no "Gun problem." There is no gun problem even for those living in the roughest neighborhoods, unless they are actively involved in a criminal lifestyle. Admittedly, there is a much broader violence problem in those neighborhoods than you would find anywhere else in the US -- where violence in general is a part of daily life-- but even there most of that does not involve a trigger being pulled. As I have pointed out the risk from alcohol, or diet and I believe even unprotected sex, etc. are greater -- far greater in many cases.
In fact, for people actually living here the view of the "wild west" US that a lot of foreigners have from the media and movies and Rap music etc. is actually a bit funny and out of tune with reality. [edit: It somewhat funny, because I see plenty of rural Americans on other boards talking about a trip into the big city, and no CCW etc. and they are nervous and it's pretty obvious they are out of touch with reality as well thanks to the media and "If it bleeds it leads." As long as they aren't coming to the city to sell a few kilos of crack they'll probably be OK
]
So, frankly, the only people in the US who really care about the issue tend to be gun owners and politicians and the Democrats are starting to realize it's a loser because even the big city voters don't put that as a top tier concern approaching the economy or the war in Iraq, etc. So if they support gun control they gain little and lose the rural Democrats in return. Go over to the Daily Koz or the Democratic Underground sometime and watch the gun debate over there. There are more gun control proponents than you find hear, but it is definitely a two-sided debate there as well.
Charon
