Why do you think there are so many guns/weapons in America?

Answer 1

Because we don't have a caste system that makes people subservient to anyone. Because we have just about 300 million people. Each firearm is for a specific role. Because we are free.

Answer 2

Guns and weapons are two different things. Weapons are for protection. Guns can be for hunting or for sport. I own guns because sometimes food gets really tight around here and I like to eat. Now, while that make a few animal rights people go nuts, it's a fact of life around where I live. Putting a deer in the freezer helps you get through the winters around here, so that you can pay your heating bill instead of buying groceries. Instead of depending on the government to feed us, we feed ourselves. It's called freedom, and we take that very seriously. Also, in the chance that we get attacked by a thief or by some foreign power, each American can protect him or herself in the manner that they see fit. I think it's one of the main reasons that a foreign power would have a tough time taking over our country. There's no way they can measure the strength of each family, with the right to keep and bear arms as one of our rights. Our cities might be able to be conquered, but just try to overcome those out here in the country. Just too many who love their freedom to give up what they worked for. Besides, guns & weapons don't kill people...people kill people and they use whatever's at hand, not just the usual things. Alcohol kills more people than guns do, and you don't see anyone taking alcohol away. There are laws that make it illegal to own a gun, in places like jails, yet people still find a way to get a gun or other weapon, and use it. The only way to change people is to for their desires change. I happen to like the way America is, even with all her problems. We're still free. <*)))><

Answer 3

Because it's the leading nation in the world of people who fear. Americans can tout being the 'home of the brave' all they want but if this were true they wouldn't need all those guns. It's an interesting psychological phenomenon as to why people may collect guns. I would love to read some solid psychological study done on the subject. But in my opinion, it's simply out of fear there are so many guns in America. Fear is a byproduct of ignorance which is the real root of all American problems. The television media in the United States is one of the biggest fear propagating machines I've see in my lifetime. If I watched American television all day for a long enough time, I might begin to feel like I needed a gun at some point. To at least shoot myself if nothing else.

Answer 4

Michael Moore's movie from a few years ago, Bowling For Columbine, addressed this question very deeply. He presented MANY hypotheses that I think are major contributing factors! he compared gun use in other countires too. i suggest you rent the video-DVD. In general Americans have been taught to be afraid-paranoid-non-trusting of just about everything and everyone. There are also so many people with BIG ego structures (our socialization makes big egos here) and they often like to use a gun to show their protectiveness, power, control, rebellion, territoriality, which may or may not be too healthy-safe!

It is also estimated that the US has an unusually high number of people operating within the "warrior" archetypal personality structure compared to other countries. About one third of US people are estimated to be warriors, male or female, so they have the most-more attraction to weapons, more so than other human archetypes (vs much lower per cents in priests, sages, artisans, kings, servers, sages, etc)

The purpose of a healthy warrior is to protect and defend the defenseless and innocent, but if they are paranoid or angry and pathological, they can be pathologically criminal, violent and dangerous. There is a valuable role that warriors have in this world, but many do not yet understand how to use their power in a healthy way yet.

Answer 5

Guns are part of American life. The early settlers depended on their rifles to provide food by hunting wild animals. In the very early days there was no law inforcement, So each had to protect himself.
Finely made rifles and pistols became collectors items, and are still highly sought and added to very rich collections.
Guns and America go together. Some people think of guns as murder weapons. They're really just tools.

Answer 6

I live very near to the Italian/Swiss border. *All* Swiss male citizens are required to retain at home the weapon they used in military service, and this is often a very sophisticated assault rifle. Thus, all homes contains a weapon of this type.

However, Switzerland has a much lower homicide rate, despite the prevalence of assault rifles. This seems to show that more guns does not cause more murder.

But, to answer your question, (i) where I live compared to the US, the context of ownership is very different (military service with training and discipline vs. untrained private citizens), (ii) in the US many people advocate a ban on handguns, not rifles which are 'legitimate' hunting weapons, and (iii) the use of weapons in the homicide rate in Switzerland, while considerably less than that in the United States, is almost four times higher than that in Sweden and is on average over ten times higher than that in other countries with restrictive handgun laws (Australia, Canada, and Britain).

Answer 7

Be a student of history and look what happens to the countries that don't alllow their citizens the right to bear arms.

Germany disarmed their people, in comes Hitler.

England disarmed their people, Hitler beat em down.
France.
The list goes on and on. A big reason the USA has never been occupied is because their citizens are allowed to arm themselves.

And no, not just criminlas have weapons in the USA. The NRA is a huge orginization with over 18 million members. I doubt they would be criminals.

Answer 8

1. A large, ready market willing to buy guns
2. Lots of businesses selling guns
3. Relatively cheap prices
4. A culture of liberal gun ownership based on the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights
5. A history that celebrates guns and gun ownership
6. Large manufacturing industries that turn out guns by the millions each year

Answer 9

There have always been a lot of guns in the United States. The vast majority being held by law abiding citizens who use them only for legal purposes. It has nothing to do with our violent nature, we would be just as violent without guns. It is more about our love of self-determination. We, as free people have the right/obligation to provide for our own entertainment/survival/safety/etc.

Answer 10

People are cowards that is why there are weapons. They hide behind a weapon because they do not have the balls nor the verbal ability to talk like a human. Do I want a gun pointed in my face, Hell no. But I can stand my own with one.

Answer 11

1) Because the founding fathers knew that the government had to be afraid of it's own citizens. When you take the means of revolution away from citizens, they become subjects.

2) If there are two guns in my house, one of them better be mine. (if you don't understand this, then there is no need to argue further)

ALSO: Why does the vast majority of big shootouts happen in "gun free zones", i.e.- schools, post offices, etc. When you tell law-abiding people not to have guns, it makes a natural target for criminals.