Repeat to Fade wrote:Why if gun ownership prevents massacres do countries with gun ownership have massacres? In fact they even seem predisposed to it. You would think that if you were right (going to note now that you aren't) and gun ownership prevented massacres then countries with gun ownership would have no or at least less massacres than those without gun ownership.
Americans - for it is largely they who advocate for gun ownership - seem more tolerant of lots of little massacres than of great big ones that they far less frequently see happening in countries with stricter gun control.
You pays your money and takes your choice. You can live in a country where gun crime is more prevalent but has less impact (per event), or you can live in a country where gun crime is less prevalent but has more impact when it does happen.
Cultural attitude to the deployment of firearms is another issue that cannot be ignored. Firearms are an accepted part of American culture and thus an American’s perception of the appropriateness of firearms use is fundamentally different from the perceptions of those from other nations with more gun control.
As an example, perhaps you would indulge me in an anecdote? I’ve told it before, so some may recall it, but it bears repeating because it graphically illustrates the cultural differences to which I refer.
The last time I was in Iraq, I was located at a very large American camp and airfield, in a medical liaison role. Fortunately for all concerned, I didn’t have much in the way of medical liaison to do. To occupy my time I used to help out the only other (two) Brits on the camp, who were the ground-handling team for UK Forces passengers and freight that used the airfield as a transit facility for onward movement – by road or helicopter – up to more remote UK military locations. Of both necessity and military fraternity, we mixed well, socially and professionally, with our US counterparts (although I did regularly visit the Aussies who were on camp for a bit of a break from total immersion Americana!).
I lived in the US Army part of camp, as I was attached to the Army Combat Support Hospital, but Rob, the RAF sergeant who ran the ground-handling operation, lived in the USAF part of camp. Most of his off-duty time was spent in the company of USAF airmen, many of whom were part of the USAF security detail, and he had close, friendly relationships with them. Thus, all parties were well known to (and well disposed toward) each other and each knew what the other did and why.
One day, the RAF Hercules – inbound from Basra with personnel and freight – was diverted from our usual ‘ramp’ outside the air terminal we used as the ground-handling team’s base, to the USAF-only ‘ramp’ at the other end of the main runway. Rob was sat, poised, in the cab of his 4x4 forklift truck, ready to off-load the pallets of freight (stacked to the rear of the aircraft) and thus allow the passengers to disembark. A USAF guy came running out of the air terminal to tell us that our Herc had been sent down to the USAF ramp and unhitched the steel cable that was used to bar access to the taxiway, so Rob could head off toward our aircraft. However, when he arrived at the rear of our aircraft he was suddenly surrounded by a section of USAF security personnel – all of whom he knew and who knew him – who levelled their M16s at him and
screamed at him to get out of the forklift. They then had him spread-eagled on his face on the searing concrete, with an M16 pointed at his head, until one of the RAF aircrew from the Hercules came over and, after a heated exchange of views, sanity was restored.
Even afterwards – given that two of the security detail lived in the same tent as Rob – the USAF guys could not understand why Rob was not just upset, but apoplectic with rage! To his credit, he managed to restrain himself from the violent reaction he felt they warranted, but many friendships were curtailed as a result.
Rob and I talked about it – at length – at the time and were able eventually to laugh it off and restore some friendly relations, but we did conclude that this episode had been indicative of the fact that to Americans it’s unremarkable - normal even - to have a loaded weapon pointed at you in certain circumstances.
Clearly, if you come from a society where firearm use is accepted, it’s OK to abandon common sense, judgement and the intelligent application of discretion and be prepared, at least, to shoot first and ask questions later.
- By Deutschmania
- By Tainari88
- By Pants-of-dog