Ed, I don't know the answers to all of those questions nor do state and federal governments whose challenged gun laws are sent to your Supreme Court for arbitration. The Second is a never-ending debate.

Government regulations are challenged every day. The Supreme Court decides if they violate the constitution. In gun cases, according to how the jurists find for originalist or living-document arguments.

Overall generally, on the evidence of what governments wanted to regulate and could not, current state and federal legislation is not a violation of the constitution. Obama huffed and puffed and, as I predicted, got little traction.

Reducing firepower in the hands of the people? People decide how they want to live. I believe Canada has come to a reasonable accommodation with both sides. Onerous pistol laws need to be and are being eased.

On our relative gun cultures, it's early days for my participation in a study and book on Canada's gun culture, and how both may bring more support for gun ownership. Canadians and Americans are different in this respect.