What's your opinion? Do you think the prevalent gun culture in the States makes the men different than they might otherwise be? It's not just the availability and use of firearms, which is indeed great, but the attitudes and mentality that go along with them. These things could arguably inhibit a person from maturing in the area of conflict resolution, for example. What do you think?Then there is the gun- a man’s weapon here in the states- ready to blow the head off of someone in anger. A simple, quick ’solution’ to the situation at hand. Blamo!
While I was in Europe last Fall for 14 days, there was not a single act of gun violence reported there. Not one. Today I opened our local paper and read of several just over this weekend.
Is it the ease of gun possession here in America that has halted the maturing of the fully-functioning American adult male? Because many men believe that the gun can ’solve the problem,’ have they not been able to reach that highest plateau in maturity of the fully-functioning adult man? Has it, like a crutch, inhibited that final phase of growth?
That gun is not as readily available to the European male and, as a result, has not been a crutch in his quest for complete personhood. He has had to make those final steps up to the top on his own.
Not only the gun but the booze. American males are literally awash in alcohol. It has become a rite of initiation into the adult world on his 18th birthday. He becomes a ‘man’ with that first legal beer. He’s all set to move into adulthood with that first snap of the lid. Atta boy!
I suggested in my Famous 10% post that only 3% of gun owners suffer from substance abuse to the point of rendering them unfit to own guns. I think that's an extremely lowball figure. As Mudrake says, "American males are literally awash in alcohol."
And even most pro-gun apologists admit mixing guns and booze is bad.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
