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 origins of America's gun culture and why that culture is so strong. 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 guns are so ingrained in American culture, I thinks helpful to understand why other countries don't have it. 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, fighting for his very freedom. This underdog kept his musket by the front door, should he be called upon by his country. Contrast this with the Red Coat, who upon returning home, exited his service and no longer needed his musket. England had a standing army to repel invaders. By then, Europe was mostly stable, relative to fighting between neighboring countries, apart from those War Wars, of course. Fun fact: English common law allowed carrying of guns, but only white members of the English church.
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. Therefore, Europeans have been accustomed to not having guns for centuries, so our gun culture frequently baffles them.
Returning to America, once freedom had been won, it was time to explore the rest of our great land and tame the Wild West. Those pioneers and explorers needed guns to hunt for food as well as defend themselves from predators. 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 could come in quite handy. This perpetuated guns as a symbol of the everyman hero.
Guns in Popular Culture
That segues perfectly into American popular culture and the theme of rugged individualism that's echoed for a couple of centuries now. 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. The bad guy frequently ends the story in a body bag. Again, think about the Wild West movies and books that glorified the Colt Peacemaker and Winchester Model 1873 as the guns that won the West.
Some random examples that pop into my head: John Rambo had to defend himself from incapable law enforcement in the first movie, then, still shunned by the establishment, headed back to Vietnam and rescues POW's and returns a hero, having fired hundreds of thousands of rounds. Who doled out justice when they killed his dog? John Wick, of course, with lots and lots of guns. For the most part, the only time when law enforcement is portrayed as the hero is when one member goes rogue, climaxing in a shootout where the villain leaves in a body bag. Case in point - While John McClain was a cop, he was essentially a rogue hero, 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 Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie. And that's how many American men want to see themselves - 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 cultures, where they're shown as professional, capable, and bring the bad guy to justice as a team, through hard work, collaboration, and intellect. At most, rules are bent, but never thrown out the window. There's rarely a gunfight involved.
Banning Guns
Rather than focusing on whether a ban on firearms would be a good idea (it isn't), I'd like to hone in on feasibility, or lack of it. Let's begin with legality. Even if legislation could be passed, which it wouldn't, any ban on guns would be immediately struck down in SCOTUS, particularly with the current set of justices, on the basis it violates the 2nd Amendment. In reality, it doesn't, as I stated here. But that doesn't matter.
Since we're already in the land of make believe, let's take it a step further and consider enforcement. If you learned anything from the above on gun culture, it should be that enforcement will be painful. First, there's no registration database to work from, except for NFA items (machine guns, short barreled rifles, etc.); knowing who has what guns is impossible. You'll have more people claiming to have lost the ones they had in boating accidents, it'll seem like even those living in New Mexico are coastal. The folks required to enforce the ban and confiscate all these guns are the ones who'll object the strongest to such a directive. In other words, law enforcement won't enforce such a ban and won't collect shit. That won't matter in certain jurisdictions, which will declare themselves gun sanctuaries. This happened with several counties in Virginia, when the state seemed poised to ban assault weapons. Also, armed skirmishes will happen, causing further death. Seriously, there are those out there that mean it when they say, "you can have my guns when you pry them from my cold, dead hands." Then, there are the more radical elements...
As I said above, banning guns is an absolute pipe dream, so maybe focus on the problem, instead of the way it manifests itself.
This entry is part of my "Gun Series" that focuses on providing insight into the gun debate and gun violence. You can find the other entries in the series HERE.
About the author: Sean R is a recovering conservative who owns a consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing. He's been a competitive shooter since the early 90's and holds a High Master classification in PPC and a Master classification in USPSA. As an instructor, he taught courses in gun safety and competition. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his overly vocal dog, Sadie.
