This is one of those arguments where everybody already has their minds made up, and will not be confused by the "facts". I say "facts" because what most people have here are opinions but they disguise them as facts.
You can have your own opinions.
You cannot have your own facts.
The constitution is not the be-all, end-all of everything. Its a document that put a framework in place that was to evolve, and it has.
But you cant read a little piece of it and draw your own conclusions. Well you can and a lot of people do, but thats where the problem starts.
The "right to bear arms" was specific and two-fold. Part 1 was that the US is not supposed to have a standing army. Really. The constitution says so. For a large variety of reasons including the cost and the temptation to use it. The founding fathers really wanted us to mind our own business...which is hard to fathom in todays world where we've decided that we are the arbiter of many other countries fates and directions. The first part of the right to bear arms therefore was for the public to be called up to form a militia in times of need. Can you imagine people having a bradley in their garage and an RPG or two in the closet in case we needed to call up the militia? Who gets the f-16 in their back yard?
The other reason to maintain guns in the hands of the public was to assure the people could overthrow the government should it become onerous and non representative of the people.
Well, we have a standing army, and its a crime punishable by death to try to overthrow the government. So much for that little part of the constitution. There is absolutely nothing else in the constitution with regards to gun ownership that you can hang your hat on.
So unless you're planning on joining the "militia" or overthrowing the government, you technically have no constitutionally protected right to bear arms.
As far as the rest of it, in countries where broad ownership of guns by the public has never been allowed, there are very few gun deaths (obviously). With a limit on the ability of anyone to harm anyone with very little skill, there is also a lot less violent crime. So the "I need my gun to protect myself, to even the odds" argument doesnt wash.
Our "gun control" here has failed to work, as it has in many other countries, simply because it was ineffective in the first place, and everybody already has ready access to guns with or without the "controls". If you do something that you know isnt going to work and then declare that the effort is not worthwhile because it didnt work, thats not particularly decisive.
As far as the "protecting myself" argument...very few people actually successfully defend themselves with a firearm and/or prevent a crime. The few instances where it does happen are widely publicized. You are far more likely to be killed or have a family member be killed by your gun than you are trying to protect yourself with it. The other humorous and quite true statistic is that the majority of people who face an intruder in their home with a firearm have emptied the gun from a distance of less than 8 feet without even hitting the intruder. Bet thats a fun experience, you with an empty gun and some guy with a load of crap in his underwear.
And no, I'm not a liberal or a demo. I've voted 100% republican, although I frankly do not like what the republican party has become. Its not a party of conservatives who want to support business, limit spending and taxation and keep our noses out of other countries business...which is what being a conservative used to be about. Its a bunch of religious whackos, gun nuts and anti-abortionists. Guess what...none of those were factors in the republican party 50 years ago and prior. Its just about all the party IS about today.
I also dont "hate guns". They have a purpose and many valid uses. I used to teach marksmanship and gun handling to teenagers when I was a camp counsellor many, many years ago.
Thats what I'm not. What I am is a reasonably intellgent person who reads and thinks for himself.
And holy cow are we way off topic on this thread...
