Note that it’s from New Zealand.Typical viewpoint from The Rest Of The World, sorry. This is the sort of thing we say when the USA is not in the room.The USA has people who think it is reasonable to give death causing devices to five year olds, what are we supposed to think about the powers-that-be? And it is very obvious that the NRA is that power.Oh, and Ima: I’ve never been to Germany, so you may want to have another guess. Sorry, I’m not a Nazi either.
A big part of the perception is the entertainment industry, which shows a lot of gun violence.However, looking from the outside, there has always been a very vocal pro-gun crowd here, claiming the second amendment gives them the right to own as many guns as they want, coupled with incidents like Columbine and Waco, where people had arsenals of weapons. The perception is that Americans love their guns because of a fear that they need them to protect themselves from each other constantly. The fact that our crime rate has dropped is irrelevant – we are showing our fear by saying “we need our guns to protect ourselves”. From what? Less crime should make it less necessary.Another irony is that gun ownership has dropped from nearly 50% in the seventies to around 30% today. Since more guns are being sold than ever before, this means that those that own guns most likely own multiple guns.
“People also believe gun violence and gun homicides have increased in the US over the past 30 years, when it’s actually decreased 35%.”
And despite the drop, our homicide rate is still about 5X more than the rest of the first world. But Team NRA is here to tell us that we don’t have a gun violence problem.
paranoia and fear. it has been around in america since 1620. to overcome that fear and paranoia, americans have clung to their weapons with a death grip.
The US mainstream media has little to do with foreign perceptions of us. At most, they see the massacres here, not the day to day nightly news. While there are mass shootings occurring around the world, there are quite a bit more here. That is what makes the news in Europe. Another irony is that while I was there, many college students passed their time watching Fox news in the evening, because they thought O’Reilly, Hannity, and Beck were comedians, like Stewart and Colbert. When told that Fox was a real news outlet that people took seriously, they typically reacted with something like “What is wrong with you people?” So, if anything, our image to Europeans has more to do with the right wing media, not the left.I mentioned movies and entertainment not as a primary source, but it does have an effect on our image. We glorify guns here. People watch movies and want to be like Bruce Willis, Charles Bronson, or Clint Eastwood, carrying a gun to protect the streets from criminals. You said crime is going down, but so are the number of gun owners, which means that citizens carrying guns is not a reason for the drop.
A picture of a five year old, with her little pink stocked rifle and a big smile, was a little creepy when I saw it. My kids didn’t get to handle guns until 12 and able to get training, and have some sense of responsibility.
Mikefive: while they aren’t the biggest concern with firearms deaths, mental patients and “assault rifles” are NOT by any means the biggest danger, there has not been a single mass killing in Australia since they passed the law banning high capacity semi-autos. Guns ARE still legal in Australia, just rigidly controlled btw.
Ottodesu almost 11 years ago
Note that it’s from New Zealand.Typical viewpoint from The Rest Of The World, sorry. This is the sort of thing we say when the USA is not in the room.The USA has people who think it is reasonable to give death causing devices to five year olds, what are we supposed to think about the powers-that-be? And it is very obvious that the NRA is that power.Oh, and Ima: I’ve never been to Germany, so you may want to have another guess. Sorry, I’m not a Nazi either.
Mighty_Mouse almost 11 years ago
This is related to that five year old who shot his sister dead with a “child’s gun”, right? What did the NRA say about those things?
Fourcrows almost 11 years ago
A big part of the perception is the entertainment industry, which shows a lot of gun violence.However, looking from the outside, there has always been a very vocal pro-gun crowd here, claiming the second amendment gives them the right to own as many guns as they want, coupled with incidents like Columbine and Waco, where people had arsenals of weapons. The perception is that Americans love their guns because of a fear that they need them to protect themselves from each other constantly. The fact that our crime rate has dropped is irrelevant – we are showing our fear by saying “we need our guns to protect ourselves”. From what? Less crime should make it less necessary.Another irony is that gun ownership has dropped from nearly 50% in the seventies to around 30% today. Since more guns are being sold than ever before, this means that those that own guns most likely own multiple guns.
zekedog55 almost 11 years ago
And the follow up comment by Pierre——“The only way to stop a bad sister with a gun is with a good brother with a gun.”
d_legendary1 almost 11 years ago
“People also believe gun violence and gun homicides have increased in the US over the past 30 years, when it’s actually decreased 35%.”
And despite the drop, our homicide rate is still about 5X more than the rest of the first world. But Team NRA is here to tell us that we don’t have a gun violence problem.
Magnaut almost 11 years ago
How many of those babies that Gosnell killed could have used one. The cartoonist is prescient!
pirate227 almost 11 years ago
I saw something on what became of the politicians that voted for the gun control laws. They all lost their jobs. That is what US politicians fear.
vwdualnomand almost 11 years ago
paranoia and fear. it has been around in america since 1620. to overcome that fear and paranoia, americans have clung to their weapons with a death grip.
Fourcrows almost 11 years ago
The US mainstream media has little to do with foreign perceptions of us. At most, they see the massacres here, not the day to day nightly news. While there are mass shootings occurring around the world, there are quite a bit more here. That is what makes the news in Europe. Another irony is that while I was there, many college students passed their time watching Fox news in the evening, because they thought O’Reilly, Hannity, and Beck were comedians, like Stewart and Colbert. When told that Fox was a real news outlet that people took seriously, they typically reacted with something like “What is wrong with you people?” So, if anything, our image to Europeans has more to do with the right wing media, not the left.I mentioned movies and entertainment not as a primary source, but it does have an effect on our image. We glorify guns here. People watch movies and want to be like Bruce Willis, Charles Bronson, or Clint Eastwood, carrying a gun to protect the streets from criminals. You said crime is going down, but so are the number of gun owners, which means that citizens carrying guns is not a reason for the drop.
Dtroutma almost 11 years ago
A picture of a five year old, with her little pink stocked rifle and a big smile, was a little creepy when I saw it. My kids didn’t get to handle guns until 12 and able to get training, and have some sense of responsibility.
Mikefive: while they aren’t the biggest concern with firearms deaths, mental patients and “assault rifles” are NOT by any means the biggest danger, there has not been a single mass killing in Australia since they passed the law banning high capacity semi-autos. Guns ARE still legal in Australia, just rigidly controlled btw.