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The love of guns in the United States has been well documented, as have multiple mass shootings across the country such as those in Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown, and Virginia. The ease of access to guns in American society comes at a shocking cost.
As of September 2016, almost 11,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence. Despite this high death toll, mass shootings in America show no sign of disappearing.
The Stateside obsession with guns can appear baffling to UK observers unfamiliar with its origins. So just how did this gun culture become so deep-rooted in the American psyche?
BBC source: Why Are Americans so Obsessed with Guns?
Wikipedia: Gun politics in the United States
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Why Are Americans So Obsessed With Guns?
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If the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 09 2017, @09:30PM
...when seconds count, the Police are only minutes away.
And that's the sad truth.
A firearm is the last refuge of the home invasion, mugging, assault, and rape victim.
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Monday January 09 2017, @10:25PM
When I was in college five years ago we had a situation where the University wanted to ban firearms on campus because of all of the school shootings. There was protest by the student population because it was in Alaska and guns are very much part of the culture, I only knew a few people who carried but everyone still wanted the ability to. The chancellor told the campus police chief to fix it, his response was:
"All I know is that if there is a shooting in the Arts building, none of my people will be able to get there for 10 minutes"
Chancellor got pissed and increased funding to a childcare to make it a full daycare so they could ban firearms from that building and sever campus in half. I never saw the need to carry on campus, or anywhere else personally. But first they came for those that CC, but I do not CC so etc etc.
As an aside I am unsure why someone who is planning to shoot up a school would care that guns are banned, but whatever. Suppose the counter argument to that is someone could steal someone elses gun or in "the heat of the moment" get pissed and kill someone.
I do think stupid people having objects above their ability to control is a bad idea. Cars, firearms, etc. But just try making it harder to get a drivers license. My suggestion would be to give grreater discression to gun shop owners in turning away customers, but that makes me a horrible person because it would lead to profiling of people who call guns pieces and wear pants around their knees.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Monday January 09 2017, @10:45PM
As an aside I am unsure why someone who is planning to shoot up a school would care that guns are banned
Aside from the far lower chance that there's someone present who could shoot back?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Sulla on Tuesday January 10 2017, @03:06AM
Sorry I did not conceive of this response when I wrote that. I was thinking more along the lines that they would not care whether or not a law says they cant if they already plan to break the law to murder. Your comment is most correct.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday January 10 2017, @02:27PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Tuesday January 10 2017, @04:10PM
When I lived in Anchorage there were numerous situations that were solved by a citizen making a citizens arrest. One memorable one was someone citizen arresting a taxi driver at gunpoint, the taxi driver was in the middle of an attempted rape at the time. I think whether or not guns can make you safer depends on where you live. In Alaska there is a large portion of the population that is military or military family, in addition there is a lot of thought to gun safety and practice. This leads to people, on average, being better trained. Other places might just have a bunch of fudds who get drunk carrying firearms, which would be less safe than what I saw in Alaska.
The post suggested that if a kid wants to shoot up a school, he would prefer guns are banned at the school because his kill count will be higher. When I worked some garbage jobs one of my coworkers was a pot dealer, she loved it being banned because she made a huge amount of money. She voted against legalization because it would effect her profit. Its a pretty common attitude for many different things.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday January 09 2017, @10:49PM
My experience with campus carry in a rural entertainment state is trying to make life miserable for hunters who just want to go hunting on Friday night instead of (or while) getting drunk. All kinds of insanity about banning guns in the dorms.
Also ROTC is notoriously not looked at favorably by lefties and "too bad so sad" if ROTC can't bring weapons on campus for training or display models or whatever.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday January 09 2017, @10:49PM
Don't gun shop owners already have discretion to in turning away customers? Or am I missing something?
But that would lower revenues, therefore profits. This is America. Profit is more important than the lives of people who might be killed by a creepy customer that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 09 2017, @11:09PM
Private sales.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 09 2017, @11:26PM
My suggestion on school shootings is rearm the students. Not arm them, simply stop disarming them. There was a gunrack in every pickup and a pocket knife in every pocket at my highschool and not a single person has ever been shot or stabbed there.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday January 10 2017, @12:13PM
There was a gunrack in every pickup and a pocket knife in every pocket at my highschool
Yet at my highschool guns and knives were banned and not a single person has ever been shot of stabbed there. There was a bullet hole in the wall, it was back in 1940, middle of WW2, when they were building guns in some form of metal class and the teacher was somewhat negligent when demonstrating. Or so the rumour went.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday January 10 2017, @12:53PM
Teach em proper respect for weapons and that don't happen nearly as often. That respect can't be created in the absence of them though.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10 2017, @12:22AM
And I will similarly note another sad truth that whenever a mass shooting erupts, you 2A-loving ammosexuals also seem to be just minutes away. Why is it that the Internet Tough Guys who boast about what they would have done had they been at the scene of the crime never are around when the shit really does hit the fan? I mean, you guys wouldn't just be all talk and no action, right?
Well, OK, but exactly how many guns do you need to repel a home invasion? By one estimate [fool.com], the average number of firearms owned by a "typical gun-owning household" in the USA had roughly doubled between 1994 and 2013, to 8.1 guns per household. After three or four, I think it fair to ask your neighbour "just how much trouble you expecting, son"?
(Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday January 10 2017, @02:32AM
"you 2A-loving ammosexuals also seem to be just minutes away"
Obvious is obvious. Most of us are LAW ABIDING CITIZENS! The law says, "Don't be around here with your guns!" so we stay the fuck out. Meanwhile, the crazies move in, shoot at you, and you bitch that we are nowhere around to save your chicken ass? FOAD, buddy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10 2017, @03:52AM
This is just bullshit. Many of the places where we have seen mass shootings over the last several years were places where it was legal to carry. So, I must ask again: where are you guys when the shooting starts? This is not just about saving my life, but also about saving your family, your friends, your community. I seem to recall on more than one occasion--on this very forum, no less--seeing at least a couple of you gun-toting 2A-types blustering about your moral imperative to protect your family. So, even if you have no interest in saving my "chicken ass", surely your friends and family are worth the time and effort, right? Right?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10 2017, @06:43AM
"Many", eh? More akin to "zero or near enough to zero statistically-speaking".
So-called gun free zones are safe spaces for mass murderers.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday January 10 2017, @03:36PM
"Many of the places . . . legal to carry."
Fine - then it should be easy to name a few of them. Carrying a weapon is illegal in virtually all school zones, campuses, colleges and universities. The cops that were shot in Dallas and in Baton Rouge were shot in legal carry areas, I believe. The one legal-carry guy who displayed a weapon was pounced on by the cops, as I recall. Name some other places for me, because I'm having a tough time recalling any of them.
THE CRAZIES GO TO "GUN FREE ZONES" FOR A REASON!! People like myself are excluded from them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10 2017, @03:35AM
Ever since I truly realized that the US is now a police state I became much more favorable of the 2nd amendment. I haven't seen any real good evidence that the liberal gun ownership in the US is the cause of our problems, and its historically proven that extensive gun ownership can help prevent the authoritarian boot from reaching your face. I don't own any guns, but I value the option.
"It can't happen here" has been said too many times and failed, and I see nothing special about the US beyond a significant amount of cultural mixing.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday January 10 2017, @12:09PM
US is now a police state
extensive gun ownership can help prevent the authoritarian boot from reaching your face
On the assumption that the US has extensive gun ownership (which seems fair, given that it's got the highest guns per capita, 50% more than the next country) I would suggest your two statements are incompatible.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday January 10 2017, @08:07PM
All the apparent incompatibility indicates is that things have not yet gotten bad enough that a violent uprising seems to most to be worth the cost. But note the yet - if there's one thing that history teaches it's that governments almost always trend towards becoming more authoritarian and abusive over time, with periodic uprisings (violent or otherwise) making for occasional large jumps in the other direction.
And many times it's not clear that a non-violent uprising would have been effective - Gandhi was able to organize a massive non-violent protest that became expensive enough to drive the British out of India (after almost a century of subjugation), but could he have realistically done so within the fiercely independent Americas?
(Score: 2) by CoolHand on Tuesday January 10 2017, @12:51PM
Don't need that many for home invasion, but do need several for specialized purposes..
1) Powerful pistol or shotgun (tactical) for home protection
2) General use pistol
3) Slim concealed carry pistol
4) Shotgun for hunting
5) Small caliber rifle for plinking
6) Large caliber rifle for hunting
7) Shotgun for sport shooting (skeet/sporting clay etc..)
8) Assault rifle for when the Apocalypse or rebellion arrives..
So, there we go.. not too hard to get up to eight firearms..
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams