Thanks for writing this James. Wish I knew more about how Australia got their citizens to hand over their guns. I don't see U.S. citizens doing so.

My first husband was a gun lover. He died young of cancer. From 30-48 he would scrape together money to buy guns. Sometimes he charged them on credit cards. I wasn't happy about being in debt for his "hobby".

He had the whole array from handguns to expensive Israeli made high powered rifles. He had fancy engraved shotguns and handguns. I always felt like he was thinking more and more about scenarios where he would have to use them-to protect his family. From exactly what? I don't think it was particularly healthy.

Putting the money he spent into some sort of annuity or investment account would have been smarter and would have made my life so much easier after he passed.

All of his focus on the world falling apart didn't change the world, it just left me a broke widow when he died.

A lot of Americans are obsessed with guns...with owning them and firing them and like my husband, thinking too much about scenarios where they have to use them. He wasn't mentally ill. Imagine how this plays out for some people who are.