(December 31, 2014 at 6:28 pm)Tonus Wrote: I dunno about need, but many people find them fun for target shooting. Most gun owners observe the necessary precautions. The number of accidental gun deaths in the USA would number in the hundreds of thousands, otherwise.
I made it to 51 without seeing the need for a gun either. When I was younger, I loved a bit of target shooting without ever owning a gun.
But look at the actual charts. This site gives a pretty comprehensive list for international comparison of gun ownership and deaths per capita.
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states