>>30
1. If you have the time and inclination I highly recommend reading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, along with the Bill of Rights. It'll help you understand the situation the country is in, and if nothing else they're among the world's greatest written works - worth reading just for the heck of it.
2. Since we both agree the drug polices are out of whack, wouldn't it make sense to fix those, BEFORE dealing with the issue of guns? The effect wouldn't be immediate, but it would reduce a great deal of violent crime in the country, and people would have less reason to need guns for protection. But still, given the prevailing attitudes and the abysmal education on the subject it'll be monumental task to fix drug policies.
3. Just because something is old doesn't mean it's not useful. And in fact I think the 2nd Amendment is more important now than ever. The government is MUCH larger now than it ever was, and it's increasingly intrusive in the lives of the citizens. The past eight years alone have been an atrocity with regard to the constitution and civil liberties. The people of the nation are entitled to protect themselves from a government gone mad. It's what safeguards the nation from becoming a hellhole like China or Russia.
I believe you're placing FAR too much faith in government, assuming the people in it are all just chummy and nice. The truth is, people who seek out political power always want more. And if there's nothing to keep them in check they can do whatever they want. I don't know how things work in Canada, but corruption and lies ALWAYS finds tehir way into politics. It doesn't matter how "modern" the system is, people will abuse it.