Since David Williams reported in last week's Guardian about a live round of ammunition found in Walthamstow High Street, we have been receiving a flurry of emails from across the Atlantic. Here he reports on just some of the material he has been sent by, we assume, the gun lobby in the USA. It seems to indicate that if George Bernard Shaw were alive to day, he would have to review his famous witty comment to read: "England and America are two countries separated by MORE THAN a common language"

LAST week we published a report about a single live .22 calibre short round that was found in the doorway of a shop.

Since the article was posted on our website, we have been bombarded with emails in response, all but one from online readers in the United States.

Most, including our sole British correspondent, argued that the bullet was not in itself a danger to the public, and questioned the Metropolitan Police spokesman we quoted, who said: "If it goes bang it is still lethal."

Others said that the thought of a gunman, licensed or otherwise, among our shoppers was nothing to worry about.

Bill Clark, from Virginia, said: "I carry a handgun daily for self-defence, and hope to never use it.

"But it is not vigilanteism, I am not taking the law into my own hands.

"I am merely acknowledging that the police are not responsible for my personal safety, they are responsible for safety of society in general. If you are ever in my nation's capital, please give me a call and we will spend some time at the range in neighbouring Virginia, with a few pistols."

This was not the only such invitation we received.

Bob Granger, from Maine, offered: "Come visit New England - I'll let you shoot my machine gun and then you'll have something to write about."

Several others thought our story was a joke.

One emailer, known to us only as Helicopter, wrote: "Is this a real newspaper? I mean is it a serious newspaper, or is it supposed to be satirical like online magazine The Onion?

"It's clever but a bit too subtle I think."

Others used satire against us, of a decidedly unsubtle variety.

Royce Stanton, from New Orleans, hooted: "Gasp!!! Horror!!! Chilling!!! Nightmare!!! Abomination!!! The sky is falling!!! Everybody run for your lives!!!

"Can't you guys find a pistol to put it in?"

But other, less light-hearted, correspondents took the issue more seriously.

The following grim warning, cleverly linking the issue to our coverage of surveillance, also in last week's paper, came from Andrew Daller, in Claymont, Delaware.

"Your CCTV cameras have done nothing but smother the law-abiding populace, your police are denied the ability to aggressively pursue your violent criminals, your gun laws have done nothing but disarm a victimised public, and your media encourages passiveness in the face of criminal aggression."

And these are just a few, and relatively mild, examples of some of the material we have received.

Many of the writers boasted that they carried a handful of bullets around in their pockets as a matter of course.

Despite this barrage of criticism, Cllr Afzal Akram, Waltham Forest Council cabinet member for community safety, said local authorities would be sticking to their guns on the issue.

He said: "As far as the council and the police are concerned, this is a serious offence, and we want to know how the bullet got there.

"It could not have got there by any legal means. It may well have been someone engaged in some illegal activity.

"Who walks around with live ammunition in their pockets?"

This side of the Atlantic, who indeed?

l What do our readers think of the idea of allowing law-abiding people to carry arms as a matter of course? Write to the Editor, 480-500 Larkshall Road, E4 9GD or email pstannard@london-.newsquest.co.uk