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Guns In America - The Prequel, Part 1  

New2Midlo 54M
653 posts
4/1/2021 9:45 am

Last Read:
6/12/2021 7:50 am

Guns In America - The Prequel, Part 1


Because Heated Affairs will fuck this post enough to make it unreadable, the real entry is in the comments.

Based upon some of the questions and comments from readers of my previous entries on gun violence, I thought it may be of value to step back and examine the origin's of America's gun culture and why it's perpetuated.

Gun Culture in the USA
In order to best understand why the US has the gun culture it does, I find it helpful to explore why other countries don't. Let's go back to the founding of this country for a quick look at the two sides that fought each other. The bad guys lived under a monarchy and were professional soldiers for the largest empire on the planet, where the good guys, who kicked their asses, had a fledgling democratic government and were anything but professional soldiers. This is the first glimpse of the everyman as a hero, in this country, fighting for his very freedom. This underdog kept his musket the front door, should he be called upon his country again. What about his opponent, the Red Coat? Once he came home, and exited his , he had no further need for a musket. Not as though anyone was threatening to invade England. then, Europe was mostly stable, relative to fighting between neighboring countries. When fighting did break out, it was conducted professional armies.

Wrapping that thought, I would suggest that the length of time and circumstances in which a country gained their independence represent significant factors in their views toward guns and gun ownership. The US had to fight for its independence from another country less than 250 years ago in a war waged everyman soldiers. I'll contrast that with two other random countries. France's independence came after that of the US, but they fought a civil war to achieve it, which doesn't count. The country hadn't been under another countries rule for centuries then. Because it's been highlighted as having one of the lowest of gun violence, I'll pick on Iceland. Their actual independence took place in the th century, so not that long ago. But there wasn't any blood spilled; they essentially just informed Denmark 'you're not the boss of us anymore'. How stable the country is overall also plays a role, with gun violence inversely proportional to the of internal strife (i.e. most of Central America).

Finally, I don't think it's possible to overstate the importance of system of government on a country's views toward gun ownership. Until WWI, every country in Europe was run a monarch, mostly all from the same German family (hence the stability). And monarchs aren't terribly fond of the general populous owning weapons that could be used to overthrow them. The same can be said for dictators. In any case, living in monarchies, Europe had been accustomed to not having guns for centuries. That makes understanding America's gun culture challenging for those who live there.

Returning to America, once freedom had been won, it was time to explore the rest of our great land. Those pioneers and explorers carried guns to hunt for food as well as defend themselves from bears and the like. They also carried for another reason that continues to echo today. There's not much law enforcement present when there isn't a state, much less a town to elect a sheriff. In other words, you were left to your own devices to defend yourself against those who may wish to do you harm, so a gun came could come in quite handy.

Guns in Popular Culture
That segues perfectly into popular culture and the theme of rugged individualism that's echoed for a couple of centuries now. In American pop culture, when someone is murdered or grievously wronged, the hero that brings justice to the bad guy(s) is rarely law enforcement, or at least not typical law enforcement. In many cases, American pop culture portrays law enforcement as incapable, lacking latitude to enforce the law, or even corrupt. Another set of random examples. John Rambo had to defend himself from corrupt law enforcement in the first movie, then, still shunned the establishment, goes back to Vietnam and rescues POW's and returns a hero. Who doled out justice when they killed his ? John Wick, of course. The only time when law enforcement is portrayed as the hero is when one member goes rogue. Case in point - While John McClain was a cop, he was essentially a rogue cop, who had to contend not only with Hans Gruber and company trying to him, but the LAPD's incompetence. He was the true hero of Nakatomi Plaza. And that's what most American men want to see themselves as - the rugged hero who kicks ass. And kicking ass requires a lot of firepower! For most American wannabe's, the only elite unit they would be qualified for is Meal Team Six, but that's another story. Contrast that with how law enforcement is portrayed in other countries' pop culture, where they're shown as professional, capable, and bring the bad guy to justice, through hard work and intellect. At most, rules are bent, but never thrown out the window.

If anyone gives a shit, there's a Part 2 that delves into the mind of a responsible gun owner and why they own guns.

New2Midlo 54M
1075 posts
4/1/2021 9:45 am

Based upon some of the questions and comments from readers of my previous entries on gun violence, I thought it may be of value to step back and examine the origin's of America's gun culture and why it's perpetuated. In addition, I'll throw out some gun owner's insight on our hobby.

Gun Culture in the USA
In order to best understand why the US has the gun culture it does, I find it helpful to explore why other countries don't. Let's go back to the founding of this country for a quick look at the two sides that fought each other. The bad guys lived under a monarchy and were professional soldiers for the largest empire on the planet, where the good guys, who kicked their asses, had a fledgling democratic government and were anything but professional soldiers. This is the first glimpse of the everyman as a hero, in this country, fighting for his very freedom. This underdog kept his musket by the front door, should he be called upon by his country again. What about his opponent, the Red Coat? Once he came home, and exited his service, he had no further need for a musket. Not as though anyone was threatening to invade England. By then, Europe was mostly stable, relative to fighting between neighboring countries. When fighting did break out, it was conducted by professional armies.

Wrapping that thought, I would suggest that the length of time and circumstances in which a country gained their independence represent significant factors in their views toward guns and gun ownership. The US had to fight for its independence from another country less than 250 years ago in a war waged by everyman soldiers. I'll contrast that with two other random countries. France's independence came after that of the US, but they fought a civil war to achieve it, which doesn't count. The country hadn't been under another countries rule for centuries by then. Because it's been highlighted as having one of the lowest rates of gun violence, I'll pick on Iceland. Their actual independence took place in the 19th century, so not that long ago. But there wasn't any blood spilled; they essentially just informed Denmark 'you're not the boss of us anymore'. How stable the country is overall also plays a role, with gun violence inversely proportional to the amount of internal strife (i.e. most of Central America).

Finally, I don't think it's possible to overstate the importance of system of government on a country's views toward gun ownership. Until WWI, every country in Europe was run by a monarch, mostly all from the same German family (hence the stability). And monarchs aren't terribly fond of the general populous owning weapons that could be used to overthrow them. The same can be said for dictators. In any case, living in monarchies, Europe had been accustomed to not having guns for centuries. That makes understanding America's gun culture challenging for those who live there.

Returning to America, once freedom had been won, it was time to explore the rest of our great land. Those pioneers and explorers carried guns to hunt for food as well as defend themselves from bears and the like. They also carried for another reason that continues to echo today. There's not much law enforcement present when there isn't a state, much less a town to elect a sheriff. In other words, you were left to your own devices to defend yourself against those who may wish to do you harm, so a gun came could come in quite handy.

Guns in Popular Culture
That segues perfectly into popular culture and the theme of rugged individualism that's echoed for a couple of centuries now. In American pop culture, when someone is murdered or grievously wronged, the hero that brings justice to the bad guy(s) is rarely law enforcement, or at least not typical law enforcement. In many cases, American pop culture portrays law enforcement as incapable, lacking latitude to enforce the law, or even corrupt. Another set of random examples. John Rambo had to defend himself from corrupt law enforcement in the first movie, then, still shunned by the establishment, goes back to Vietnam and rescues POW's and returns a hero. Who doled out justice when they killed his dog? John Wick, of course. The only time when law enforcement is portrayed as the hero is when one member goes rogue. Case in point - While John McClain was a cop, he was essentially a rogue cop, who had to contend not only with Hans Gruber and company trying to kill him, but the LAPD's incompetence. He was the true hero of Nakatomi Plaza. And that's what most American men want to see themselves as - the rugged hero who kicks ass. And kicking ass requires a lot of firepower! For most American wannabe's, the only elite unit they would be qualified for is Meal Team Six, but that's another story. Contrast that with how law enforcement is portrayed in other countries' pop culture, where they're shown as professional, capable, and bring the bad guy to justice, through hard work and intellect. At most, rules are bent, but never thrown out the window.


elvinpearls 73M

4/1/2021 10:47 am

I use mine to hunt. And carry one for protection.


DorsetLes 34F
30 posts
4/1/2021 10:50 am

Another set of random examples. John Rambo had to defend himself from corrupt law enforcement in the first movie, then, still shunned the establishment, goes back to Vietnam and rescues POW's and returns a hero.

You do realise that this was fiction, right?


New2Midlo replies on 4/1/2021 12:41 pm:
All true stories, really!

Do you understand what pop culture is? Here, let me Google that for you.
Popular culture (or "pop culture") refers in general to the traditions and material culture of a particular society. In the modern West, pop culture refers to cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, cyberculture, television, and radio that are consumed by the majority of a society's population. Popular culture is those types of media that have mass accessibility and appeal.

lindoboy100 61M
23969 posts
4/2/2021 7:52 am

Another interesting and informative read McMid, thank you.

Your explanation of the origins of gun culture in the US makes a lot of sense. It's perpetuation by pop culture also makes a lot of sense. It doesn't really answer fundamental question though - why? Surely in today's modern world, the gung-ho, shoot-first ask-second approach is out of date? Surely as forward thinking humans we should be able to put our weapons down and discuss with calm reason and respect? Or am I being too idealistic as usual?

I'll look forward to your next instalment. Also, I wonder if you have a view on Lindsey Graham making a show of shooting off his AR-15 and declaring that the gangs would never attack him or his property. Which gangs? And who arms them?


New2Midlo replies on 4/2/2021 8:19 pm:
Again, thanks for the kind words, Lindoboy.

Spoiler alert for the final installment - responsible gun owners don't shoot first and ask questions later. We do everything we possibly can not to use our guns in a defensive situation, because we understand the finality of pressing that trigger.

Senator Graham will never be mentioned in my blog proper, because he's an absolute piece of shit and not because of his ass kissing the ferret wearing cheeto faced shit gibbon and underhanded politics. I dated a woman who worked in the DC political scene for several years (she got to spend time in Kennebunkport with the first President Bush) and she told me the worst kept secret about old Lindsey (aside from him being in the closet). This guy was going through a divorce, but he was taking care of his wife's dog. This piece of shit killed the dog and placed it on her front porch. There are no gangs, at least not running rampant in this country, but the world would be a better place if one rolled in and took his pansy ass out.

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