The American love of guns?

[an anarchist]

Every time someone buys a gun for security reason, they are actually decreasing their own security. But you absolutely cannot get people to recognize this.

Statistically, you are correct. But every gun owner believes themselves to be an outlier.

I do not own guns for fear of my life.

 

[Shaul]

Why?

I don't get it

Americans don't love guns, per se, as much as they love the freedom to have them. Non-Americans have a misguided stereotype that Americans are gun crazed. We aren't. Yes, Americans like their guns. But love is the wrong word. Americans like many things such as our cars or our sports teams. Americans are passionate about things and enthusiastic. But that too isn't "love". Ultimately guns are mere tools. We may even, inaccurately, say we love our guns in hyperbole. But Americans are defined by the ideals we hold, not objects. One American ideal is the principle of individual liberties such as the right to bear arms. Americans love their ideals, not the object of those ideals. That is a difference and a distinction that non-Americans often don't understand.

 

[Eddi]

Americans don't love guns, per se, as much as they love the freedom to have them. Non-Americans have a misguided stereotype that Americans are gun crazed. We aren't. Yes, Americans like their guns. But love is the wrong word. Americans like many things such as our cars or our sports teams. Americans are passionate about things and enthusiastic. But that too isn't "love". Ultimately guns are mere tools. We may even, inaccurately, say we love our guns in hyperbole. But Americans are defined by the ideals we hold, not objects. One American ideal is the principle of individual liberties such as the right to bear arms. Americans love their ideals, not the object of those ideals. That is a difference and a distinction that non-Americans often don't understand.

That's a really interesting take thanks for sharing

 

[Stevicus]

I was brought up on those shows too. Every kid in England in the 1960s was obsessed with cowboys and Indians, but we never thought real life was like that.

Sometimes we played pirates instead, but no one I know ever tried to rob a ship. And I grew up near the docks (actually, the dockers did do a fair bit of robbing, but not with cutlasses).

I've read about pirate gangs in the San Francisco Bay area. They're basically just armed thugs on boats, but I haven't heard of any using swords or going around with parrots on their shoulders or peg legs.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I've read about pirate gangs in the San Francisco Bay area. They're basically just armed thugs on boats, but I haven't heard of any using swords or going around with parrots on their shoulders or peg legs.

What’s the point of being a pirate if you can’t have a parrot on your shoulder?

 

[Spice]

Lobby groups wield a ton of power.

The concept is good. It's a bit like a workers union. But still an opportunity for corruption. I can see what the AARP Lobby fights for and the progress made. I don't know what boundaries and restrictions are on lobbies, but I do believe they need to strong and monitored closely by independent sources somehow. "Money" and "gifts" should have severe penalties.

 

[Spice]

Statistically, you are correct. But every gun owner believes themselves to be an outlier.

I do not own guns for fear of my life.

I own, but I don't think I could ever pull one on another human being. The only time I've pulled one on another living thing I hesitated enough for them to flee. Hopefully I would have been able to pull the trigger if they had advanced towards me rather than away.

 

[PureX]

Statistically, you are correct. But every gun owner believes themselves to be an outlier.

I do not own guns for fear of my life.

I don't own one because I don't have a legitimate need to own one. As almost no one does.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

History and myth and culture and hobbies.

It think that pretty much sums it up rather succinctly.

The historical tradition of personal self defense enshrined as a right in the US Constitution. A tradition of hunting and target shooting. A culture and industry that has sprouted up around the first two points. And a lot of mythology about guns and their roll in the foundation and early history of this country. Like the Wild West gunfighter.

Fear might be an additional point to consider that ties in with these others. Fear of government, of strangers, of neighbors of being defenseless.

 

[an anarchist]

I don't own one because I don't have a legitimate need to own one. As almost no one does.

I wouldn’t trivialize the need to defend oneself and their family.
Cops are often minutes away when seconds matter, as the saying goes. It has happened in the past where an armed bystander stops a mass shooting. It’s not an impossibility.

 

[Spice]

Fear might be an additional point to consider that ties in with these others. Fear of government, of strangers, of neighbors of being defenseless.

IMV, fear is indeed the factor behind increased ownership. And much of that fear is instilled through misinformation.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

IMV, fear is indeed the factor behind increased ownership. And much of that fear is instilled through misinformation.

In my opinion, the worst person to have behind a gun is one that is anger or afraid or both. I'm not antigun, but I'm realistic and recognize that we have a serious problem in this country where one side of the argument seems composed of a fair number of people that consider it the cost of doing business.

 

[PureX]

I wouldn’t trivialize the need to defend oneself and their family.

There is very little ACTUAL need for any of us to do that. As evidenced by the minuscule number of times anyone has actually had to do that, and then done so successfully with the handgun that they bought for that reason. It occurs, ... but far less often than it occurs that we end up shooting ourselves, our neighbors or our family members, or they us, with that same gun that we thought we had to have to protect ourselves.

Cops are often minutes away when seconds matter, as the saying goes. It has happened in the past where an armed bystander stops a mass shooting. It’s not an impossibility.

But the facts don't lie. Buy a gun, and you are INCREASING the likelihood of you or someone you care about being shot with it. Meanwhle, the likelihood of needing it to shoot some 'bad guy' remains minuscule.

 

[PureX]

IMV, fear is indeed the factor behind increased ownership. And much of that fear is instilled through misinformation.

A lot of it is real, but wildly misplaced.

We have good reason to be fearful in this culture. We are all facing a lot of profound and existential threats. But most of them are not threats that can be shot dead with a hand gun. We just like to imagine that they are, so that we can buy a gun and then pretend we're "safe".

 

[Vinayaka]

The concept is good. It's a bit like a workers union. But still an opportunity for corruption. I can see what the AARP Lobby fights for and the progress made. I don't know what boundaries and restrictions are on lobbies, but I do believe they need to strong and monitored closely by independent sources somehow. "Money" and "gifts" should have severe penalties.

There are more patronage appointments than any of us would like to know. It's sad.

 

[Spice]

In my opinion, the worst person to have behind a gun is one that is anger or afraid or both. I'm not antigun, but I'm realistic and recognize that we have a serious problem in this country where one side of the argument seems composed of a fair number of people that consider it the cost of doing business.

It may sound strange, but I fear those with a gun available that have never seen what they do other than on TV. I believe any household that feels the need to house a gun, needs to take all household members to a target range and let them feel, see, and hear the reality, and be taught the responsibility and respect of a firearm.

This may seem wrong...

But this is much, much worse:

It is NOT to be left to be assumed a toy.

 

[Balthazzar]

I couldn't answer for anyone but myself, but my thinking goes something like this: One, two, three ... 1st amendment is 1st line of defense. 2nd amendment is 2nd line of defense, etc.

My love for guns would equate to valuing security and well-being. My love for the 1st is greater than my love for the 2nd, but I'm not looking to take up arms against anyone. I'm looking for greater security and well-being and I support those who value gun ownership rights. It could be the difference between victim status or protect the family - able.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

It may sound strange, but I fear those with a gun available that have never seen what they do other than on TV. I believe any household that feels the need to house a gun, needs to take all household members to a target range and let them feel, see, and hear the reality, and be taught the responsibility and respect of a firearm.

This may seem wrong...View attachment 97440
But this is much, much worse:
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It is NOT to be left to be assumed a toy.

I agree with that.

I grew up in a house with guns. We hunted, target practiced, shot skeet, my father collected antique firearms, swords and knives. I had the benefit of parents familiar with guns. My father was a former Marine and instilled in me and my siblings several concepts that personally I think should be universally recognized and taught.

1. A gun is not a toy. Handle everyone of them as if they are loaded despite what you think you know. Don't play pretend with them. Don't point them at anything you don't intend to shoot or need to.
2. Never use one in anger.
3. Keep them in good, working condition.
4. Know your guns. How they work. What is needed for them to work.
5. Hope you never have to use it for defense, but be ready if that happens.

This wasn't like some sort of formal training, but knowledge handed down to us and rational rules to follow. He considered it a serious responsibility and one that he thought was important to share with us. My mother was of a similar mind and familiarity, though not through military training or combat.

I would add that a gun isn't some token to make you feel like a grownup or a man or whatever it is that some seem to equate to firearm possession.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I have some ideas regarding control, but what we need to do is keep them out of schools and and out of the hands of morons that think that shooting fish in a barrel is a solution to their problems.

I'm not sure how to do that effectively and not penalize personal rights and self protection. There has to be some rational solution that works for both ends. But rational may be another aspect of the problem when dealing with peoples fears.

Edit: Sorry for the flying edits. Thinking way ahead of what I'm typing.

 

[Revoltingest]

And example of guns being interesting....
On the TV show, The Old Man, a CIA operative
in Afghanistan arranged for a shipment of
M-21 rifles for US allies living there.
If one knew about the use & history of the M-21,
this shows great understanding of the people's
needs.
Why not a bolt action sniper rifle?
The M-21 is an accurized scoped version of the
M-14, & is capable of full-auto. Thus it's a fine
sniper rifle out to 1,000 yards, but it's also
a squad weapon because of rapid fire capability.
This is ideally suited to increasing the deadliness
of people accustomed to the AK-47. (Keep it clean.)