ThazzarBaal
Registered Senior Member
Are you claiming that we argue more here and thus come to violence more often? Definitely not. I've been to a dozen countries from Niger to Japan, and the human tendency to argue is clear in all of them - and happens at about a similar rate.
The big difference here is that we have more guns than people - so for a great many arguments, there is a gun just a reach away. And as soon as you pick up that gun, the outcomes of that argument change radically.
Hopefully you are not arguing that having a gun is essential for political change. A vote is how we do that here.
Hundreds of millions of Americans, apparently.
On another board, a frequent poster talked about how he had to have a gun to protect himself and his family. He was always arguing against the "gun grabbing dems" who were going to take his guns, leaving him defenseless and his family at risk. Then one day something happened. It was probably something minor that escalated. He shot and killed both his daughters, then did the same to his wife. When the police got there he was sitting on the porch with his gun. He then shot and killed himself.
Now, whatever the minor thing was would probably have escalated without the gun. There would have been shouting. Perhaps someone would have been punched or slapped. Then there would be recriminations, perhaps counseling, perhaps even police involvement. But instead there was a gun that turned an argument into four dead.
That's the difference between the US and other countries.
People become heated over a lot of things and some people truly enjoy pushing those types of buttons. It's an intentional thing more often than not, and these button pushers are or can be too persistent for any type of peaceful relations, with or without guns.
On a national level, guns can or could help United States citizens defended this country and themselves. Without them, we are very much at risk, even with our military, whom I am, more often than not supportive of. National defense is important for ourselves and our kids, but some types seem to be unable to see beyond the gun banning banner hype to support gun ownership.
I hate violence and I'd more than likely take my aggression out on myself before another, but ... Defense is a necessity in life. Out teeth are dull and claws too flimsy to protect without some type of tool to help us overcome real enemies, and although I agree that we need to vote and utilize diplomacy via democratic channels for change, we are not always afforded that opportunity.
I don't own a gun, btw. I just support gun ownership and national defense even in citizen levels. Defense. Not offensive charges or conquest, but defense.
Part of defense comes with out voting choices, but ... Times are too troubled to put our guns away and utilize pens and buttons to defend this nation and our families. What? They have tanks anyway ... What good is a gun gonna be against them? Well, probably better than an ink pen.