What is meant by “gun culture” in reference to America?
I have seen this term used frequently in threads here, and am seriously curious what people mean by it, but did not want to side track threads with complex issues with topic drift.
I hope this does not sound like some kind of “gotch ya” question. I believe that part of the issue with the USA and its problems with guns is that there are at least three very distinct groups of USAsians when it comes to this topic, rural gun owners who grew up around guns and see them as important tools or instruments for hobbies like deer hunting or pest extermination and really no different than a machete or a four-wheeler. Then there are suburban people who may not have grown up with guns as closely as rural people, and see them as weapons of self-defense (the thing that they are defending themselves from encompasses many things from gangs, hopped up/crazy people, to tyranny or other less likely events), and urban people who see firearms as tools of criminality without legitimate use except in the hands of law enforcement.
I’ve set these three different groups based on anecdotal experiences, my friends all fall into one of these categories, and have such different viewpoints on guns that they cannot relate to the others' view point at all. Each group assumes that the others' view point is irrational and motivated by some sinister agenda or psychosis (i.e. pseudo-fascists that want to make people dependent on the state, red-necks with a gun fetishism who just like to kill things for a sense of power, or rich guys who want to be able to intimidate the poor). Oddly I’ve witnessed the suburban and rural “gun groups” have a go at each other behind closed doors just as much as I’ve witnessed the urban “gun control” group go after the other two.
If people are actually interested in changing gun laws in the USA, some kind of compromise needs to be reached that will be acceptable to at least two of these three.
For an example the Assault-Rifle bill that was proposed but failed in 2013. People in the urban group have expressed to me that magazine fed semi-automatic rifles are overpowered death machines that only the military should have. People in the in the rural group have told me that “assault rifles” are underpowered toys for rich people and not really useful, but note that since the bolt action .30-06 that they use for deer hunting is significantly more powerful than any .223/5.56 rifle (the caliber of the AR-15) this must be a wedge issue that if passes will lead to a “sniper rifle” ban next year to take away their hunting rifles. While the suburban gun owners have told me that “assault rifles” (although they prefer the term "personal defense rifles") are the tool of the modern “minute man” and almost never used for crimes. Their ban is the work of an overbearing Federal government/local law enforcement agencies that want people unarmed and compliant.
Neither of the three sides understands or respects the other much in this arena, but as the rural and the suburban tend to unite when it comes to legislation, and because the US Senate tends to magnify the political power of lower population rural states in the face of more populous urban areas, USAians seem to be at a political stalemate where very little of anything useful is ever done, except for posturing and pandering by politicians to their respective voting bloc.
So I am curious what people here see as “gun culture” in the USA. Is this a uniform thing, or do others see distinct sub groups? Am I missing other major groups? Or am I making this too complicated and altogether wrong?
(Full discloser since I am more of a lurker here, I grew up in a very urban environment and still have friends there, although many moved out to the ‘burbs. I moved out to the sticks myself, and have well respected uncles from WV with two names for a first name and the ability to sense a deer in a holler by smell I think. I think that I straddle these three groups, although am currently lightly in the “rural” camp myself.)
I have seen this term used frequently in threads here, and am seriously curious what people mean by it, but did not want to side track threads with complex issues with topic drift.
I hope this does not sound like some kind of “gotch ya” question. I believe that part of the issue with the USA and its problems with guns is that there are at least three very distinct groups of USAsians when it comes to this topic, rural gun owners who grew up around guns and see them as important tools or instruments for hobbies like deer hunting or pest extermination and really no different than a machete or a four-wheeler. Then there are suburban people who may not have grown up with guns as closely as rural people, and see them as weapons of self-defense (the thing that they are defending themselves from encompasses many things from gangs, hopped up/crazy people, to tyranny or other less likely events), and urban people who see firearms as tools of criminality without legitimate use except in the hands of law enforcement.
I’ve set these three different groups based on anecdotal experiences, my friends all fall into one of these categories, and have such different viewpoints on guns that they cannot relate to the others' view point at all. Each group assumes that the others' view point is irrational and motivated by some sinister agenda or psychosis (i.e. pseudo-fascists that want to make people dependent on the state, red-necks with a gun fetishism who just like to kill things for a sense of power, or rich guys who want to be able to intimidate the poor). Oddly I’ve witnessed the suburban and rural “gun groups” have a go at each other behind closed doors just as much as I’ve witnessed the urban “gun control” group go after the other two.
If people are actually interested in changing gun laws in the USA, some kind of compromise needs to be reached that will be acceptable to at least two of these three.
For an example the Assault-Rifle bill that was proposed but failed in 2013. People in the urban group have expressed to me that magazine fed semi-automatic rifles are overpowered death machines that only the military should have. People in the in the rural group have told me that “assault rifles” are underpowered toys for rich people and not really useful, but note that since the bolt action .30-06 that they use for deer hunting is significantly more powerful than any .223/5.56 rifle (the caliber of the AR-15) this must be a wedge issue that if passes will lead to a “sniper rifle” ban next year to take away their hunting rifles. While the suburban gun owners have told me that “assault rifles” (although they prefer the term "personal defense rifles") are the tool of the modern “minute man” and almost never used for crimes. Their ban is the work of an overbearing Federal government/local law enforcement agencies that want people unarmed and compliant.
Neither of the three sides understands or respects the other much in this arena, but as the rural and the suburban tend to unite when it comes to legislation, and because the US Senate tends to magnify the political power of lower population rural states in the face of more populous urban areas, USAians seem to be at a political stalemate where very little of anything useful is ever done, except for posturing and pandering by politicians to their respective voting bloc.
So I am curious what people here see as “gun culture” in the USA. Is this a uniform thing, or do others see distinct sub groups? Am I missing other major groups? Or am I making this too complicated and altogether wrong?
(Full discloser since I am more of a lurker here, I grew up in a very urban environment and still have friends there, although many moved out to the ‘burbs. I moved out to the sticks myself, and have well respected uncles from WV with two names for a first name and the ability to sense a deer in a holler by smell I think. I think that I straddle these three groups, although am currently lightly in the “rural” camp myself.)
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