Reading that Aunty M doesn't take what I say seriously really ruined this thread for me. I'm just a liberal who thinks this country began going downhill when we stopped hanging horse thieves. It may seem like a shame that someone could be killed for assault. But if a person knew they were likely to be shot and killed for assaulting someone, one of two good things would happen. They would decide against assaulting others, or they wouldn't, and the world would be a better place without them.