re: #1 The Optimist

Fidel Castro has taken all guns from civilians in Cuba. Possession of a gun will lead to years in jail. Of course, the purpose is to stop all dissent and rebellion. It works.

Bullshit. Guns are everywhere in Cuba.

guardian.co.uk

There was no explanation for why the drive to legalize unlicensed weapons is coming now, though the state-run news agency Prensa Latina said the move grew out of a November 2008 law regulating possession of guns and ammunition.

According to a weekend bulletin carried by state news media, gun owners must “maintain conduct consistent with the appropriate norms of social behavior, meet security and protection conditions for the firearms and pay established taxes.”

While Cuba is among the safest countries in the hemisphere, it is not unusual to find firearms in Cuban homes

Also, as a case in point, Oswald, an American Marine defector was able to own a gun in the USSR.