We have a lot of freedoms here in the US of A. The bad thing about freedom is that it's like a rope for a lot of people and if you give them too much, they will hang themselves. I can walk into Wal-Mart and buy a cart load of high power rifle ammo and no one would hardly notice. Probably think I'm just hording ammo or even more likely, they will go back to the sporting goods section thinking there may be a really good sale on ammo (stuff has got really expensive)!
Here, I can stroll into Cheaper Than Dirt and buy an AR-15 type rifle for $703 plus tax
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/13606-55.html and walk out the door with it in about 30 minuetes or less after a quick computerized background check. Now, if I take this weapon and load it and start shooting people there will be extreme consequences for doing so. Being in Texas, If you kill someone, they will "kill you back". As one comedian put it, Texas even has an express line for covicted killers.
We can buy a combat knife and a slurpy at many convenience stores. The good thing for most law abiding citizens here, is that you have little chance of of getting shot. If you are not commiting crimes or hanging out with criminals, I would imagine that your chance of getting shot are slimmer than the average for Great Britain.
The average law abiding citizen here should worry MUCH more about automobiles since almost 34,000 people died on US roads in 2010.
