I, too, grew up in Alaska and have been here 61 years. I disagree with you in that my life and that of my family is what is important to me: that is a great basis for a national gun policy. Life is an imperfect thing, and there are many instances of people using guns improperly. These people's bad behavior has absolutely no bearing on my ability to protect myself or my family. Frankly, I don't give a damn about them: throw the criminals in jail and leave me the heck alone.