That's right--whether any citizen of another country wants to say it to your face or not, if you're an American, you believe in fearism. As Americans, we go on and on about how we need guns to keep us safe from a potentially abusive government, never quite realizing that the US government is supposed to be run for the people, by the people. So, if it works the way it's supposed to, why are we afraid of our own people abusing us? And why do we need to cling to our arm-bearing rights with the ferocity of an actual bear?
Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, likes to remind us from time to time about how many threats we American citizens face, beyond just an abusive government. Here is a cutting from a 2014 article I found quoting a speech LaPierre gave:
"We know, in the world that surrounds us, there are terrorists and there are home invaders, drug cartels, carjackers, knockout-gamers, and rapers and haters and campus killers, airport killers, shopping mall killers, and killers who scheme to destroy our country with massive storms of violence against our power grids or vicious waves of chemicals or disease that could collapse our society that sustains us all."And a LOT of people agree with that guy. So, guns. Guns are the answer for many Americans. Even to many of those who don't want to ever own a gun, it's OK for guns to be generally legal. Because, you know, the 2nd Amendment, and because of that thought in the back of your head that the 2nd Amendment is there for a reason. It's because we might need it some day. And what that really means is that you think guns trump everything. Even the deaths of 49 gay people. Even the deaths of 20 children.
