No but in countries that have Gun Safety First laws the idea of being able to grab your gun to defend yourself is almost impossible. A common example is when guns and ammo have to be locked up separately. So in a home invasion the homeowner with a gun would have to first unlock and retrieve the gun. Then go to another safe, unlock that one too, get the ammo, then load it.
The first questions in an investigation would be, why didn’t you call the police first then retrieve your firearm and ammo? Why didn’t you flee? (Most places with strict gun laws do not have stand your ground laws.) Why was the only solution to go through the hassle of retrieving your firearm and using it?
See how that’s different from American gun culture and laws? Could you imagine an American investigator asking those questions instead of asking, why were they there, did they have a weapon, did they threaten you with it.
In a Gun Safety First cultural gun laws are created to make a person shooting another person in any way less likely and most likely illegal. American gun culture and laws are more of checklist to perform before you’re cleared to use it. It’s don’t shoot anyone vs. only shoot guilt people. See the difference?
Yes, there are clear differences. I’m just saying that using those differences to draw broad generalizations about the people who live in the US isn’t usually that helpful because those differences are not relevant to the vast majority of people or situations.
Trend: The handgun share has risen steadily. The 1994 NSPOF survey found 36% rifles, 34% handguns, 26% shotguns, and 4% other types of long guns. The 2004 survey put it at 40 percent. New production now skews further toward handguns: handguns accounted for 53 percent of firearm production in 2024, and until the early 1990s, rifles and shotguns routinely outnumbered pistols and revolvers. (Gun violence in the United States +3)
The US is unusual. Handguns make up about 44–45% of its civilian gun stock, while comparable wealthy countries with registry data have far lower shares, typically single digits.
So roughly 50% of the guns in the US are handguns. Far higher than other civilised countries.
I ask again, do you think yanks are buying handguns to go hunting?
Most handguns are for entertainment from my admittedly limited experience, but yeah of course handguns are used for self defense. I said most americans don’t engage with gun culture, not that all guns we do own are used for hunting as you seem to have misinterpreted.
Nobody except you ever asserted that “most citizens” had guns.
The cope was “every country has citizens with guns”, which while it is probably true (most countries allow hunting), nevertheless belies the fact that the US is unique among ‘developed’ countries in arming itself to the gills in the name of killing each other rather than animals.
Of course if your peer group is Latin America and tinpot African dictatorships, you probably look a lot more normal. Gooooooo yankees!
No but in countries that have Gun Safety First laws the idea of being able to grab your gun to defend yourself is almost impossible. A common example is when guns and ammo have to be locked up separately. So in a home invasion the homeowner with a gun would have to first unlock and retrieve the gun. Then go to another safe, unlock that one too, get the ammo, then load it.
The first questions in an investigation would be, why didn’t you call the police first then retrieve your firearm and ammo? Why didn’t you flee? (Most places with strict gun laws do not have stand your ground laws.) Why was the only solution to go through the hassle of retrieving your firearm and using it?
See how that’s different from American gun culture and laws? Could you imagine an American investigator asking those questions instead of asking, why were they there, did they have a weapon, did they threaten you with it.
In a Gun Safety First cultural gun laws are created to make a person shooting another person in any way less likely and most likely illegal. American gun culture and laws are more of checklist to perform before you’re cleared to use it. It’s don’t shoot anyone vs. only shoot guilt people. See the difference?
Yes, there are clear differences. I’m just saying that using those differences to draw broad generalizations about the people who live in the US isn’t usually that helpful because those differences are not relevant to the vast majority of people or situations.
Most countries have citizens that own guns.
Most countries do not have citizens that own guns for the express purpose of shooting other citizens.
Most citizens in the US don’t have that either
Really? So y’all hunting wild boar with those concealed-carry pistols, are you?
You had reasonable comments above about the cilture and laws surrounding guns. Don’t resort to “hurr durr every american is a cowboy”.
So roughly 50% of the guns in the US are handguns. Far higher than other civilised countries.
I ask again, do you think yanks are buying handguns to go hunting?
Most handguns are for entertainment from my admittedly limited experience, but yeah of course handguns are used for self defense. I said most americans don’t engage with gun culture, not that all guns we do own are used for hunting as you seem to have misinterpreted.
That’s because your reply was a strawman.
Nobody except you ever asserted that “most citizens” had guns.
The cope was “every country has citizens with guns”, which while it is probably true (most countries allow hunting), nevertheless belies the fact that the US is unique among ‘developed’ countries in arming itself to the gills in the name of killing each other rather than animals.
Of course if your peer group is Latin America and tinpot African dictatorships, you probably look a lot more normal. Gooooooo yankees!