Do people in this country have a gun fetish?

[grumpyduck]

A couple of days ago I received a video clip about gun control from an old friend who happens to be a Republican. The argument was that mass shootings are a problem that goes beyond gun control. As I was responding to my friend just now, a thought hit me: do (some) people in this country just have a gun fetish?

I accept that some people like to hunt (I accept it, but I don't understand it) and that therefore they need rifles or shotguns. Okay.

I can understand that some people like target shooting, either as a competitive sport or as a hobby. Okay there too.

I can understand that some like to collect antique or unusual guns. Fine there also.

And I can understand that some feel that they need a gun or two for self-protection due to where they live. No problem there.

But what I don't get is the need for arsenals at home: multiple guns and a hoard of ammo, plus all the "tactical" gear and the "take it over my dead body" tattoos and T-shirts. Or open carry.

Is it just a fetish?

[RainCaster]

1. Fetish is a very good way of describing it

However, this fetish can be harmful to those around the fetisher. IzZatAWord?

[Thomas Hurt]

2. guns are tools that have become ideological idols, they are sacred to some people.

you won't get rid of guns in this country until the gun culture evolves where we treat them like the Japanese or UK treats them.

[grumpyduck]

7. That's an interesting idea.

Guns are single-purpose tools that seem to have become symbols of something unrelated to their purpose: anger, resistance, or something similar.

Maybe like a hammer becoming a symbol of my right to make noise?

[Thomas Hurt]

13. hammer and sickle, the Bible, money, rosary, etc.

Personally, I think they symbolize freedom to them. Not that most of them have enough critical thinking skills to figure out what that means.

Have to have them to fight off the "savages" whatever their low level paranoia is twigging on that week, liberals, illegals, brown people, the poor, Jews, Muslims......the other.

Front to back magical thinkers

[mwooldri]

3. Yes. Next question? N/T

[Newest Reality]

4. Well,

for the promiscuous gun-toters, it would seem to be so. One might assume that those who parade around with guns, (assault weapons in particular) might not only have a gun fetish, but some serious issues: paranoia, desire to intimidate, projection, etc. The early NRA was not a subversive, terrorist organization prior to the 80s.

I would consider them even to be a majority, but enough to put an emphasis on a problem with irresponsible gun ownership and use. It seems to make sense that people who live in a society and live like their only recourse to safety are very destructive weapons and stockpiling them are a problem to that society and potential domestic terrorists.

I have owned a couple of guns out in the country and they were treated as deadly weapons by all members of the family and all safety rules were followed at all times. I know people like that who have respect for the deadly aspects of weapons and use them for sport or utility, etc.

We are talking about a faction that are a bad breed and who are obviously not responsible owners and a therefor a threat.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. They believe myths

1st myth they believe: That a Japanese General said they didn't invade the US mainland because of a hunter with a rifle behind every blade of grass. No such quote was ever uttered. If the Japanese defeated the US in the Pacific, they would not have hesitated 1 instant because people have hunting rifles here

So they honestly are told and believe that their arsenals will protect the US from invasion. That's why they need AR-15s and AK-47s. A couple arguments against this are: 1. So you honestly believe that if a foreign army defeats the US Navy, the US Marines, the US Army, the US Air Force, the US Coast guard, and US law enforcement to get to our soil, you and your family's pea shooters are going to be effective against a force that powerful that just whipped our air craft carriers and F22s? Seems far fetched.

2nd myth they believe: That their weapons will help them overthrow the government if they need to. This is utter nonsense, their guns are going to get them killed by the government, they mean nothing.

3rd myth they believe: They are fed selective statistics that misrepresent crime as it relates to gun laws. The fact is that more guns means more violence, period, but they'll pick some NRA BS stat that shows that the crime rate is really low in parts of the country where the crime rate has always been low.

They're coming from a place of different facts, they honestly believe their guns make them and their country more secure.

[Calculating]

12. Regarding defense against invasion and defense against our own govt

The theory is that our large amount of civilian owned guns would support a massive insurgency in the event of invasion. Just look at Afghanistan or Vietnam. Scattered fighters with weapons can wage a continued war of attrition against an occupying force.

As for overthrowing our government, obviously people don't believe they will take on the military with some AR15s. The real theory is that the guns are to go after politicians who would use the military/police to victimize our population.

[Paladin]

15. That 2nd myth is the biggest laugh.

The gun enthusiasts have been squealing for years about the need to have their firearms handy, to overthrow oppressive governments. And yet here we are, under the boot of the most dangerous, brain-dead, near-dictatorial regime in our nation's history, and where do we find the overwhelming portion of the gun enthusiasts? Taking turns sucking trump's cock, that's where.

[Calculating]

6. Guns are deeply ingrained in our culture and idenities

Those who love them believe it's what makes our country special, or that the guns serve to protect all of our other rights. In addition to that, our constitution itself guarantees our right to own them(although what type of guns it should allow is debatable). Significantly reducing the amount of guns in America would require both a major cultural ship and the repeal of the Second Amendment. Both of these are unlikely to happen any time soon, so we've gotta just accept that the gun culture is gonna go on for decades to come.

Personally I don't think gun ownership is a fetish or addiction unless it reaches grossly impractical levels and the person starts putting their gun collecting before other needs. I own 2 handguns and 2 semi-auto rifles along with maybe 100-500 rounds of ammo for each gun and consider that to be reasonable in terms of preparedness for the future.

[Dennis Donovan]

8. In my own experiences, it's a heavy thing that can fuck things up quick if a mistake is made.

My guitar, on the other hand, is also heavy and, if I fuck up with it, the only thing it fucks up is my practice session. 😉

[guillaumeb]

11. Switch out that electric to an acoustic.

Burden removed.

[Amishman]

9. My brother in law is one of those you describe

Way over 100 guns, including a few legal machine guns, plus an uncountable amount of magazines and ammo.

For him it is a really serious hobby, he seems to want to know everything about every gun. (He seems close, I've spent quite a lot of time this summer in his company and it has been an education). He also is not a prepper or part of the cold dead hands crowd.

Even the gun nuts aren't one homogeneous group

[guillaumeb]

10. A "fetish" that leads to over 30,000 deaths every year.

And yes, some will explain that many of these deaths are suicide by gun, but the fact remains that over 30,000 people die because of guns every year.
And unlike hammers, or cars, guns are designed to kill efficiently. Nothing else. And AR style weapons are designed to kill people efficiently, and quickly.

[maxsolomon]

14. Guns are a tool of White Supremacy

Concrete evidence of the fear of black people.

[VOX]

16. It's an ADDICTION that imparts an illusion, wherein the gun owner is powerful & feels ready to kill.

And those open-carry sons of bitches are all white, and are **strictly** into viewing bloodletting as some sort of twisted, purifying act.

[Whiskeytide]

17. There is only one valid argument ....

... for having a gun. It's "Fuck off, I like guns".

- Jim Jeffries - (at 1:45)