A New York Times article from today's edition talks about the travails of Iraqi doctors, which include kidnapping and revenge killings when their patients croak. Never fear! The new Iraqi government is here:

The Ministry of the Interior has already responded to the threats: it simplified gun license procedures for doctors, allowing them to get licensed weapons faster than other Iraqis.

In some countries, the government would increase penalties for murdering doctors, or increase security around hospitals, or start shooting the people who were threatening doctors. While making it easier for professionals (I assume lawyers, judges, and teachers all face similar challenges) to own weapons might make them safer, I think that were I going to shoot a doctor if my cousin died in his care, the fact that he might own a gun he might know how to use would not be enough of a deterrent to prevent me from committing the crime.