It's not that the government doesn't trust it's people, it's that we don't live in a society which promotes the "right to bear arms" in it's constitution. If anything, the relationship between American government and American citizens is turbulent. The American government manufactures more arms than any other force in the world and it is commonplace to have a gun in every home in the United States. Having more guns at the population's disposal is going to raise the chance of gun violence and this has been evidenced time and time again. I also think the bible belt and traditionalist points of view in the United States really hinder the possibility of ever having stricter gun laws implemented. In Canada, you can't have a shotgun in your truck when you're driving around and there has certainly never been a school shooting that I am aware of. The only shootings I ever hear about here with the exception of a few odd cases, involve either Vietnamese, Chinese or Jamaican gangs. It's also not as if those firearms originated in Canada, they had to come from somewhere, right? The bottom line is guns are bad news and they do not make you any safer as a society, they only cause death and hysteria. Now I know the common rebuttle to my point would be that they are a self defense weapon in case of a home invasion or whatever... again, this doesn't happen nearly as much up North. In general, Canadians are a non-violent people and I'd do everything in my power to help keep it that way. When I have children I don't even want the concept of guns to enter their mind. It's just unfortunate that a lot of Americans don't see the destructive side effects guns cause when they are widely praised and welcomed. It's a completely backwards and warped concept to the majority of peace lovin' Canadians like myself.