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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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Fraud is the homage that force pays to reason.
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(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