Artful Dodger: what you dont say is how many have illegal weapons. People who live in the country and need guns to get rid of feral animals and such have unregistered guns. The crime rate hasnt dropped etc as you pointed out, but the trade in illegal weapons has increased. We still dont have drive by's as you do in the USA (thank god) but are starting to get idiots in schools with weapons. typical male testosterone kicking in....these BOYS, and they are only children think they are invincible.
it is so easy to get a license for a gun, but one gun isnt enough for some households, so they revert to illegal purchases.