Why are Americans so obsessed with guns???

Question

I was recuntly vacationing in Thailand and was having a political conversation with and incredibly intelligent man from Denmark. He was very well educated on american politics but he had one question that I could not explain well. He said that most Europeans don't understand why americans are so obsessed with guns and why they make it such a big political issue like it is the only thing that matters in government. He said that in most European countries it is legal to own guns but most people just don't care either way. It it in our constutution that the right exists and no one plans to change the constitution. Even if some one did try it would take a president to agree and like 2/3 of congress and senate to make the change. So why are so many americans obsessed and why do they vote like this is the only thing that really matters??

Answer 1

You are correct. Our obsession with guns is a source of amusement to many countries.

There is no danger of the 2nd amendment being overturned yet every presidential election cycle we see the same thing. Candidates believe that they must have photos of them taken shooting or hanging out in gun shops. Rich city guys have to pretend they love hunting in the woods and have been shooting at things since they were four.

There are a lot of frightened rabbits who believe that their homes are in constant danger of invasion or that "the government" are coming to take them or their house one day and somehow they'll hold off a squad of marines from the front porch.

Other countries scratch their heads because we allow and in some cases encourage private citizens to own assault-type weapons. Who can blame them?

The fact that nutjobs can wander the streets with concealed carry permits concerns me much more than a burglar getting into my house.

NRA and gun companies spend a lot of money convincing people they need guns and making sure guns come up as an issue every cycle.

Other countries think we are obsessed with guns, and compared to them - they're dead right.

Answer 2

I think it goes back to the legend that American irregulars with guns defeated the British army and thereby won independence. The idea that a stockpile of small arms would do anything against a modern army is of course ridiculous (though perhaps I should qualify that - Iraq has shown that what America would really need to defeat an occupying force or domestic military dictatorship is a ton of roadside bombs and explosives, too bad THOSE are banned because they are "terroristic) but that is the mythology. On top of that, there is the history of cowboy movies. Seriously, that is a major factor. And the notion that America is all about the "great outdoors" which naturally implies shooting animals to appreciate that outdoors. If you watch Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, he talks about this a bit but does not really answer the question. There is a neat little cartoon that relates the obsession with guns to slavery (and the ability of white farmers to control a numerically superior black slave population) so that may play a role as well.

Answer 3

As far as the 2nd amendment is concerned I believe that its intent was to prevent the government from abusing the people. Having said that the founders envisioned that states could maintain arms in an armory for militias to use to protect the states from the federal govt. I think the amendment is really outdated because we have an all volunteer military that would never fight against its own people.

One positive of Americans being armed to the teeth is that during the years leading up to the WWII the US military was inadequate to say the least. I believe that Japan never tried to invade the US mainland because of fears of armed citizens.

Answer 4

It is a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, But special interest groups such as Handgun Control Inc. are actively trying to change the constitution with the ultimate goal of completely banning all firearms in the country. We are "obsessed" as you say because our constitutional rights are constantly being taken away from us.

Answer 5

Because firearms are the 18th century version of control-alt-delete if the government oversteps it's constitutional bounds.

Because private firearms ownership makes us citizens, not subjects. It's a symbol of freedom.


Because every totalitarian powers first step was to disarm the populace.

As far as the European countries being allowed firearms, I don't know which ones your talking about. IF they are allowed they really restricted on what they can own.

Answer 6

The only solution to a corrupt government is from the business end of a gun. Politician, Monarchs, Nazi, and any other non citizen gun supporting government knows that if the slaves, i mean citizens don't have guns, then they, well, don't really have a voice.

Guns keep you free. Just imagine what it would be like if Americans did not own guns and the politicians had a total free hand.

I will give you a hint as to what it would be like.....ask a German Jew from Nazi Germany (if you can find one)

Answer 7

Well maybe Europe doesn't have the same saftey issues that we do. People are crazy these days and if somebody wants to protect their home and family then it's their own business and they have that right. Plus you can't generalize all Americans

Answer 8

Because we're not Danes.
Or British.
Or German.
Or fill-in-the-blank.

You should have asked this man for sponsorship so you could hang out with Euros who obsess negatively about Americans.

Answer 9

Some people like them, but some doesn't just like any thing else, you look obsessed with obsession.

Answer 10

I don't understand why Europeans stick their noses into our politics or why they are so obsessed with Soccer either.