The Smallest Minority

This is why it's so ridiculous that people in the United States -- particularly conservatives and Christians -- get a rap for being anti-gay bigots. My husband lived for thirty years in Europe and has witnessed its wonderful "tolerance." The truth is Europeans are everything Americans are accused of -- hateful, racially bigoted, and very anti-gay. Note that this is not in the Christian sense of objecting to a lifestyle and protesting against it, but in the sense of beating the hell out of people and killing them. I'm so sick of the U.S. getting nailed for things that are much, much worse elsewhere.

A good number of Europeans are less saintly than they like to be, indeed. The situation however is a little more complex, and I would venture that the increase in attack against gays can be linked to the massive immigration of Muslims.

If I'm not mistaken, it's still possible to purchase handguns in the Netherlands, though it's probably like most other Western European countries, a permit is required and being a member of a shooting sport club or a licensed hunter is required.

I think his/her best bet is to come to the U.S. We're always willing to bring new blood into the sport and philosophy over here.

Fabio,

I would venture that the increase in attack against gays can be linked to the massive immigration of Muslims.

I have no doubt about that. However, my husband noted that white Europeans (especially in northern Europe, where he's from) are much more bigoted than Americans. For instance, wonderful, neutral, egalitarian Sweden has the highest per capita number of skinheads in the world. With respect to the problems associated with the Muslim influx, social democrats are the bigger problem. They are spineless weasels (unless they are opposing Christians), so they fail to act to stop Muslim-perpetrated hate crimes. In my book, that's even more reprehensible than the hate crimes.

Living in the Netherlands, I can tell you (in broad terms) what the firearms laws here are:
1) you can't own a firearm without being a member of a registered gun club, and having been an active member in good standing for a year.
2) you can't store that firearm outside club premises until you have been a member in good standing for 5 years (so for 4 years it must be stored in the club gunsafe).
3) to be able to join a gun club you need to pass a police background check and be registered as a gun enthousiast on the national registry.
4) to buy a firearm you need to pass another police background check, apply for a license to own a gun, apply for a license to buy a gun, and apply for a license to transport that gun from the store to the gun club (or your home), each license being specific to a particular gun and made out to type and serial number as well as person.
5) Anyone owning a gun has to sign a consent giving police authority to enter and search their premises at any time of day or night without a warrant or prior announcement. They also have to consent to police confiscating their gun without compensation and without giving reason if the chief of police desires that, no warrant required.

So effectively it's too darn much trouble for most anyone except a few sports shooters and hunters to go to the trouble to legally own a gun.
Of course criminals don't go through the paperwork mess and just buy them on the black market, resulting in dozens of shootings each year (luckily for the rest of us most victims are other criminals and the occasional cop rather than civilians).