Why are guns so important to many Americans? CBSNews answers this question

[bbbass]

The early history of U.S. firearms may have much to do with the Revolutionary War... at the time the militia used what they owned, long barreled black powder hunting rifles. These were not in manufacturing as we know it. Then the Civil War. There were actually representatives badgering Lincoln to produce the arms he needed, under contract. Unfortunately, the wrong weapons were usually chosen. Nevertheless, after the war these arms started making their way to the general public and the light came on for the manufacturing companies. The rest as they say, is history.

So why do Americans like their guns better than Euros, etc? Cuz, just cuz... who gives a rip? Ain' Nobody's Bidness But My Own!

 

[tac]

Over here we like 'em, too. I currently have nineteen of 'em, that's seventeen rifles/carbines and two handguns. Once upon a time I had eight semi-auto rifles/carbines, and they went. Then I had 118 handguns, including the largest personal collection of Model 29 S&W revolvers in Yoorup. Then THEY went, too.

The reasons why are moot, suffice it to say, for the Gazillionth time, that whether or not THE EUROPEAN PERSON is a subject or a citizen [and there are more than a few countries apart from the yUK where there is a royal family, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, and The Netherlands - ALL shooting nations], THE EUROPEAN PERSON does NOT have the RIGHT to firearms ownership, only a privilege permitted to him or her by their respective government.

Ownership of firearms in Yoorup is not to be sniffed at, and in spite of your comment, I'm betting that adding up the gun manufacturers of Europe [and most countries actually DO make guns - only Portugal, Greece and the Republic of Ireland have no indigenous arms industries] would far exceed present US levels of production.

tac

 

[Koda]

you do NOT have the RIGHT to firearms ownership, only a privilege permitted to you.

do you mean a constitutional privilege granted to us by our govt.?

 

[Goosebrown]

Unless you are already reading or consuming gun related material where else do you see firearms advertisements? Modern news media only talks about Colt, Bushmaster and Glock. You mean there are other gun makers??

Right on the money. Gun manufacturers market to a really limited market. If you stipulate that they sell fear they only selling it to us (which they're not). So where do all the "afraid" people coming from?

At the same time action flicks and hundreds of TV shows every week revolve around guns. Violent video games teach our kids about FALs (I actually love that my kid wants a FAL from a video game). In the news we are at war with everyone. People are shooting each other in the news.

If people are scared, where are they getting scared? Some relatively hard to find gun magazine with a glock ad or what they see around them every day?

It is absolute cultural denial to think the manufacturers led this growth.

 

[Goosebrown]

Privilege vs right. The left here never gets that.

Over here we like 'em, too. I currently have nineteen of 'em, that's seventeen rifles/carbines and two handguns. Once upon a time I had eight semi-auto rifles/carbines, and they went. Then I had 118 handguns, including the largest personal collection of Model 29 S&W revolvers in Yoorup. Then THEY went, too.

The reasons why are moot, suffice it to say, for the Gazillionth time, that whether or not THE EUROPEAN PERSON is a subject or a citizen [and there are more than a few countries apart from the yUK where there is a royal family, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, and The Netherlands - ALL shooting nations], THE EUROPEAN PERSON does NOT have the RIGHT to firearms ownership, only a privilege permitted to him or her by their respective government.

Ownership of firearms in Yoorup is not to be sniffed at, and in spite of your comment, I'm betting that adding up the gun manufacturers of Europe [and most countries actually DO make guns - only Portugal, Greece and the Republic of Ireland have no indigenous arms industries] would far exceed present US levels of production.

tac

 

[Stomper]

Over here we like 'em, too. I currently have nineteen of 'em, that's seventeen rifles/carbines and two handguns. Once upon a time I had eight semi-auto rifles/carbines, and they went. Then I had 118 handguns, including the largest personal collection of Model 29 S&W revolvers in Yoorup. Then THEY went, too.

The reasons why are moot, suffice it to say, for the Gazillionth time, that whether or not THE EUROPEAN PERSON is a subject or a citizen [and there are more than a few countries apart from the yUK where there is a royal family, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, and The Netherlands - ALL shooting nations], THE EUROPEAN PERSON does NOT have the RIGHT to firearms ownership, only a privilege permitted to him or her by their respective government.

Ownership of firearms in Yoorup is not to be sniffed at, and in spite of your comment, I'm betting that adding up the gun manufacturers of Europe [and most countries actually DO make guns - only Portugal, Greece and the Republic of Ireland have no indigenous arms industries] would far exceed present US levels of production.

tac

Aside from my utter disdain of "royalty" and the notion of the "accident" of one's "royal" birth giving them the RIGHT to "rule" others (aka robbing and raping the peasants), I'm not knocking the Brits (or other Euros for that matter), the question's context was PURELY in relation to AMERICAN CULTURE and mindset. I gave an AMERICAN'S answer from an AMERICAN'S perspective, that's all.

No slight to anyone intended... except would-be tyrants.

 

[bmtm09]

do you mean a constitutional privilege granted to us by our govt.?

Right granted by God ..protected by the constitution from the government

 

[tac]

To be honest I haven't noticed much robbing and raping of the peasants by the current royal family here in yUK. In fact, the queen's eldest grandson, Bill Wales, occupies his time in the countryside flying for the local three counties medical emergency helicopter. That seems to leave little time for robbing and raping, given the extreme business of the major highways in this and adjacent counties. Not sure that the younger Mrs Wales would approve, either.

Perhaps you are thinking of somewhere else?

Sweden, maybe?, where the king, Carl Gustaf, himself profoundly dyslexic, is the #1 representative and patron of the world's organisations aiming to eradicate this often embarrassing hold-up to childrens' development.

I could go on, but I'll refrain. Too much 'Wizard of Id' in your life, methinks. I suggest that you go and and let some of that ire out of your system by going shooting, making smoke and lots of noise, which is what I'm going to do right now.

tac

 

[Koda]

just because a country has it good right now, doesnt mean they will in the distant future....

complacency and peace, puts people to sleep...

 

[Goosebrown]

The royals of the last century or so all over Europe are not the royals of 300 years ago.

My favorite is Juan Carlos of Spain, who, when offered a real monarchy by flangistas that took over the Cortes in an armed coup de etat, told them to get stuffed and that Spain would be a democracy forever.

We are lucky to have our government derive its power unambiguously from the people. Monarchies, no matter how good the monarchs have become are still based on devolved power and we are not.