They should listen to Obama

I just think its extremely sad, most of these we dont hear about of course but surely something NEEDS to be done to stop this

trouble is there too many idiots who think guns are necessary.
 
nimrod said:
could end up in another civil war
Click to expand...

Ha, I think that might be a bit hyperbolic. In reality his proposals will be beaten either in Congress or the Supreme Court, and nothing will really change. Still seems insane that the supposedly most progressive country in the world are chained to this ridiculous Second Amendment dating back over 200 years.
 
nimrod said:
I just think its extremely sad, most of these we dont hear about of course but surely something NEEDS to be done to stop this

trouble is there too many idiots who think guns are necessary.
Click to expand...

America is a very different country to us.

Firstly, the complete ban on firearms is a fantasy as the country is extremely large and contains lots of rural of farming areas which requires guns as a form of pest control.

Secondly the US as a nation has created a mythology around its founding which includes armed rebellion against a Government which they painted as insurmountable odds. This is a myth that is consistently reinforced to them through their entire lives from cradle to grave. For some of them, guns are as important a symbol of freedom and liberty as the Royal Navy or Battle of Britain is to us. I imagine purely on a philosophical basis, scrapping our entire Navy or Air Force would stir up similar feelings of patriotism and desire for freedom.

Thirdly, the US in my opinion is very different culturally when it comes to authority than the UK. In the UK we have a long and storied history of class warfare between aristocracy and serfs; over a thousand years we have not just won our freedom but the upper classes have become a figure more of mockery. Wee see them as eccentric creatures living in the past and not a real influence on our lives; conversely we look at political authority in the same vein - as people somehow different to us who should be mocked and retain a cynicism about authority. In the Us this seems to me to be very different, the populace seems to actively dislike and distrust authority in whatever form it appears and they see the Government as people just like them who strove for power and influence. Some believe that guns are necessary in order to maintain the Government's fear of the people and to keep them in line.

There are obviously many strong lobbyists in the US who use their clout to keep gun laws off the agenda. However in my opinion the bigger problem is that the Americans see a slippery slope when it comes to legislation. If you can take one person's gun for safety reasons then what stops Government tyranny under the guise of safety? Remember, the US was built on a distrust of authority and armed rebellion.

It's quite a complicated issue as unlike Western Europe, due to the age of the US guns are built into the very fabric of their culture. It isn't really a case of frustratingly screaming at them to realise the error of their ways as many people do not feel that their ways are in error and the gun issue is used for political movements rather than safety reasons.
 
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