Why Americans like rapid firing rifles so much? Because of personal defense or fear of tyranny?

I'm not talking about the little guns that you can hide in the glove box but those big ones that you have to hold with both hands. Why do you need them?

If its for personal defense, you're an idiot and if your entire defense strategy depends on having a big gun that can shoot lots if bullets quickly, you are missing chromosomes and are not responsible enough to have such a weapon.

If its because you're scared of tyranny, if I was some kind of dictator, I'd want you to have lots of guns simply because I could then send in my army with helicopters and long range weaponry.

When the constitution was written, guns were primitive compared to today. You couldn't go into a class room and kill 30 children in less than a minute with one. Also, the English were a problem back then but these days the English don't want to be in charge of USA. Seriously, if you offered us your country, we wouldn't want it.

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MrSimons · 41-45, M

Here in the UK, there isn't really the gun culture that you have in America. Personally, I have never even held a real gun, let alone fired one and I really have no desire to own one. Even the thought of just holding such a deadly weapon is terrifying to me, which makes me a bit of a wimp, I know.

Having said that though, I can quite understand the argument for gun ownership. If you prevent law abiding people from owning guns, the only people who will have them will be criminals. Criminals don't care if the law says they are not allowed to own a gun. It makes good sense that law abiding people should be able to own guns in order defend themselves. With some of the recent shootings, lives could have been saved if someone had been armed and was able to take out the shooter.

As far as the possibility of a tyrannical government rising, it would be far more difficult for that tyrannical government to control people when they are armed.

"When the constitution was written, guns were primitive compared to today."

That wouldn't change the need to own guns for defense purposes. Surely, it could be argued that the need would only increase with more advanced guns. You would need to match your weaponry to that which is owned by the bad guys.

bijouxbroussard · F

@MrSimons That’s the narrative. But these shootings happen in states without strong gun control and no “good guy with a gun” has stepped forward. In fact during the Parkland school massacre a policeman, whose job it was to be that person didn’t or couldn’t enter the building.

fazer1k · 56-60, M

@MrSimons Would you want your children to live in fear of being shot and killed every day they go to school? I'm surprised Americans haven't rebelled and refused to send their children to school until action is taken over these school shootings.

Americans are 25 times more likely to be shot to death than the citizens of any other developed nation - that's what a 'gun culture' does for a nation.