For many Canadians, the apparent U.S. preoccupation with the right to bear arms -- and with arms in general -- seems just plain perverse, especially when it's juxtaposed with a horrific high-profile gun crime. But news Tuesday of a deadly shooting in a courtroom the Philippines (allegedly perpetrated by a Canadian, no less) may be a timely reminder that gun violence is neither a uniquely American scourge, nor a problem whose solution is only blocked by the 2nd Amendment. Casting gun violence as an American problem or an American phenomenon is a cop out.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) doesn't speak for gun owners, not even for its members. The NRA speaks for gun makers and gun sellers. And the message is simple: buy more guns. Not wanting to see the door cracked open even an inch, the NRA fights any and all restrictions on guns and actively works to loosen those that exist. A good starting position. Even if the NRA loses a skirmish here or there, the Guns "R" Us nation they've helped create is protected.