Why are Americans afraid of gun laws?

Question

Like not even talking about gun buy backs like we did in Australia. I’m talking about bare minimum laws that prevent people with obvious mental issues and shady backgrounds from acquiring firearms. The recent highland shooting is a great example of why this should be a thing.

Yet even basic reasonable commonsense laws like that are treated with fear and rejection by the masses. It just boogles my mind.

Gun laws work people. It’s worked in Australia it’s worked in basically all industrialised nations yet Americans refuse to budge even the smallest bit with it.

Why is the American public so stubborn about this?

Chazmatazz269 · Accepted Answer

First of all, this isn’t the wild west. There ARE gun laws in effect, both federal and in every single state. So the rhetoric that anyone here is completely against any and all gun laws is complete nonsense that “gun grabbers” use to try to oppress law abiding gun owners. When the state and federal governments aren’t properly enforcing existing gun laws, and crimes are committed, how is that the fault of law abiding citizens? It’s not, not by any stretch of the imagination. THAT’S a twofold problem with enacting new gun laws. What’s the point if they’re not enforcing so many existing gun laws? Who’s going to enforce the new laws? The point IS to cripple the second amendment and make subjugation by force a much easier process. This country is also woefully unprepared to recognize mental illness, let alone treat it. So they’re NEVER going to enforce that law. YES, that law is ALREADY in effect in the US, people!
https://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/possession-of-a-firearm-by-the-mentally-ill.aspx

The people of this country aren’t terrified of gun laws. They’re terrified of universal healthcare. So much so that we’re letting mentally ill people unlawfully own and carry guns, drive cars, operate heavy machinery, whatever they want really. The vast majority of mental health institutions have been closed down. The remaining ones are obscenely expensive. So if you’re sick and poor, you go to a regular hospital inadequately prepared to care for you. If you’re violent, you may end up in jail where they’re even less capable of caring for you. Continuing to ignore the HUNDREDS of existing gun laws in favor of enacting new laws isn’t a solution. Do you even know what happened in the UK after the Dunblane ban? Crime, including gun crimes, SOARED for years. Record high crime rates every year, until they figured out that gun bans DON’T work because criminals IGNORE THE LAWS! All they did was make law abiding citizens more vulnerable! It took several more acts, few of which had anything to do with guns before crime rates starting coming down. It took something like nine years before crime rates were back to the same as before the ban, and fourteen years to show consistent reductions in crimes in the UK. Why is it that nobody ever wants to talk about that? It’s because they don’t care about facts. They want to disarm the entire population so we’re easier to control. There’s no other reasonable explanation for deliberately ignoring existing gun laws and insisting on new laws that ONLY effect law abiding citizens.

VanillaSalt · Accepted Answer

I was given the right by my constitution and the government don’t have the right to infringe. Not even an inch.

Every time we have given our government a little power they abuse it and come for more. When we were attacked 9-11… they pushed through the patriot act which allowed them to spy on Americans and invade our privacy. They never returned that power and have use it as a political tool on both sides.

Roe v wade being overturned… both sides immediately moved to ban and guarantee it in their particular areas as though the government had the final say.

Through our constitution we have the right to a redress of grievances… They refused to put more effort into protecting the elections and upholding the security and now nobody believes in the system. Continuing with this mistrust they pushed laws for us and willfully violated them over and over for years during covid. During a time when people are fixing to starve they give away our tax dollars, they buy our farmland, our homes… They give away our oil when gas is so expensive… We have little to no trust in the government anymore yet you want us to give them all the power with our guns?

That is why we will not discuss it. It is our birthright until the constitution is amended. It is our sovereignty when the people in charge fail to do the right thing. More than that it is our responsibility to protect our families when the courts have said “it is not a police officers job to protect” only to punish and our military turn their guns on us during protests and our government release the inmates and imprison us.

Without trust there will be no concession.

Smoke-n-Growls · Accepted Answer

Americans hate whatever Fox Entertainment News tells them to hate.

Also, most Americans are in favour of better gun control. It's just that the ones that have the loudest mouths and the backing of the Murdoch media empire have a vested interest in fomenting gun violence.

News makes more money when there's a constant stream of mass shootings.

Bratsondanielle · Accepted Answer

There has just been a mall shooting in Denmark 🇩🇰 one of the strictest countries its almost impossible to buy a gun. In Norway 🇳🇴 was a pride parade shooting. Norway is very strict on gun laws. Japan just had a shooting. ... but you say gun laws help?

OlderAndWiser · Answer

Anericans are not "afraid" of gun control laws. We simply resist them because criminals will continue to have guns after such laws are passed but we will not.

Telekinetic-Potato · Answer

Because our government is corrupt as hell and there's certain people who basically say that once we require background checks, what's the criteria going to be? A federal crime?

OK so if you're caught trespassing when you're 19 or forging a signature or some other nonviolent crime, then the state can say you're mentally unfit.

Or at least that's some people's thinking. Which is totally reasonable to bring up,

The real problem is that the left wants to basically make firearm ownership illegal. Which our founding fathers who wrote the constitution specifically to future-proof our country from tyranny warned us against.

The right tries to take it too far and says that basically any regulation at all goes against "the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"

I'm a little too drunk to tie this all together nicely, but basically both sides are stubborn af and can't agree on common ground so they fight tooth and nail for any law in that parties favor they can. Which is why the laws we do have make no fucking sense and the news/debates you see are always so intense.

Tanhoaon · Answer

Guns are just the easiest ways to murder, but it’s not a tool forcing people murder. If you do want to compare with other countries, look at most east countries (even in middle east and russia) have a lot of murders, most overpassed American if you take the similar fractions for their population and America, and see what they use to murder people, not guns.

Guns are blamed by leftists because they are too scared if people stand up against them, the real rightists don’t give a fuck because they are not really caring keeping authority for them. Stop blaming guns murder. Knife, baseball, anything could be a murderous tool if murders do want to kill, read a history, read foreign news about how good America by reading how people in those country suffer, die, how government really treat them instead of reading bullshit foreign news for trashy rights that should not exist in America.

A point is also America an immigrant country that not all people are educated fully in America about guns. Yes, that’s immigrant education problem, not a 2nd amendment problem, that’s one.
If you see so far, who is making America people aggressive with the other people in country, Leftist, by turning white and rightist people become criminals and ignore their people do much much more criminals things then. Leftists are also the people trying to eliminate guns out of America, that’s two.

The last thing is, if we don’t have guns, you will see depression for losing control on government, that’s three. For that, reading news to see how powerless for people in communism countries where even a gun making is extremely restricted.

maximumpower · Answer

AFAIAC, the problem is not so much a case of "more laws;" rather, enforcement of the laws already in place there. Will skip the history lesson behind the Second Amendment of the Constitution, why it exists, and state up front that, in part due to the Second Amendment, America IS an armed camp. Part of this is why our country gained its independence nearly 250 years ago. A (mis) quote often attributed to Japan’s Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is "You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." Our country has plenty of gun laws already. Unfortunately, many of those laws (e. g., felons cannot have guns) are poorly or not enforced to intended extent. Americans are not "afraid" of gun laws as much as we are leery of new ones. Every few months there is a hue and cry to "take away everyone's guns," usually as a result of a tragic event. Such sweeping "broad brush" ruling may seem fine to some; however, a major consideration is that only the law-abiding citizens would (be forced to) follow such a law. This would result in an unarmed law-abiding population, leaving the outlaws as the only ones armed. Should something be done? Yes. Should it be a knee-jerk reaction that results in a radical step? No.

Crafteroon · Answer

Gun lobbies. Once the companies in an industry realize they have a lot of money and understand that only laws and public opinion can limit their profits, they put enough money into politics to change the laws, and enough money into PR to spin any negative press and instill fear that you are defenseless unless you personally own a gun.

Sadly humans tend to disregard negative news if they don't directly affect them. The tobacco industry suffers from the fact that once someone smokes long enough they start getting the symptoms, and those are big enough to affect everyone who comes into contact with a long time smoker. But the gun lobby is safe as long as there isn't an active shooter in every school. Because unless it's their own child that died or almost died, they won't care enough to ask for change. And gun lobby propaganda every day makes them think they need a weapon of war in their hands to feel safe.

Sixgunsound · Answer

There is no possibility of compromise with agenda driven Marxist activists who want disarmed peasants to be easier to put in places like Howard springs. Human nature doesn’t change across time or location; if you make it easier for governments to dominate and exploit you they will do so. Certainly seeing the truth of that firsthand the last few years has left some kind of reality-check impression on you? The left is creating a political environment where it’s all or nothing, so given those choices I support giving them nothing.

humanearth · Answer

Okay my reason for hating gun laws

The more restrictions they put on guns, the less guns the public would own.

Guns should in theory should keep a tyrannical government at bey.

Look at all the countries that lost gun rights. What happened to them.

Go ahead I'll wait while you search the internet

What did you find out?

Germany, North Korea, China and countless other countries. Past and Present

You most likely found stories of over bearing government, genocides, land grabs, dictatorship and so on

This is why unregistered gun ownership is a must. So the government don't know you have them. Once its registered, your marked for life and you'll be the first target.

Avicenna · Answer

Illinois has red flag laws that completely failed to stop the Highland Park shooter. Laws in Texas that should have prevented the Uvslde shooter from acquiring firearms also didn’t work. There are plenty of laws already on the books, those should be enforced to prevent people from getting firearms who should t be possessing them.

. But instead the gun grabbers are targeting law-abiding firearm owners. Given that crime is high in the US and the police have no obligation or the means to protect the entire country, who in their right mind would support confiscation of firearms only from law-abiding people, which is what you’re calling for. The criminals will never give theirs up, and would then have a lucrative black market trade in firearms available to them.

Slso keep in mind the differences between your country and the US, particularly the fact that you’re an island nation and we have thousands of kilometers of borders.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

How do you stop the mentally ill from getting a gun? Even if there was a 100% full-on ban of ALL guns, those of a nefarious mindset (USUALLY, the mentally ill!!) would STILL be able to get a gun if they wanted one!! And, then, where does that leave the rest of us? DEFENSELESS!! And, that's EXACTLY how our governments want us!! If we can''t fight back, tyrannical people IN government can do as they wish to us and we couldn't do SHIT to stop them! THAT'S why we have the 2nd Amendment!! I'm CERTAINLY no gun lover by ANY stretch of other imagination but, I think you Aussies (and ANYONE ELSE in the world) were STUPID to comply with that buy-back nonsense!!

And, I'm willing to bet that MOST, if not ALL of those mass shootings taking place are done BY the government to try to SCARE us INTO giving up our guns!! Sadly, there's TOO MANY stupid people that are falling for it! Thankfully, it's NOT the majority!

bean2k21 · Answer

For the love of Christ, stop talking about stupid 'Murica and it's gun laws as if we're a bunch of morons, because your foreigners really come across as idiots. First of all, America is a collection of states. Please get that through your heads. The Federal Bill of Rights guarantees the right to bear arms. If the State wishes to require a permit to carry, then they can as long as it does infringe on your rights. Can you buy a gun if you're a felon No. If you're a felon, you gave up that right. Can you conceal a gun if you have a mental illness? No, not in my state.

In_Trance · Answer

This is an interesting one to look at from the outside.
Most Americans can't tell you why they should be able to own a gun. trust me, I've asked.
I don't think laws are the answer. I think a lot, if not all mass shootings are staged and Government controlled.
I think Covid gave everyone a really good glimpse into how fast the Government can turn on us and have complete control over virtually everything, which is very scary. It was a test; there will be more. Damn right everyone needs to be armed.

The opposite of control is not chaos. More laws don't make fewer criminals

KelleyNice · Answer

Because we know as soon as they take away our guys we will become defenseless from government tyranny and become just like the people of North Korea. Why gun grabbing fools don't know that boggles my mind.

Anonymous · Answer

Probably because the US Gov't which has a storied past of unethical experimentation on the public has in recent years been building ww2 style death camps and buying up all the expanding anti personnel ammunition on the market aka, what you use to kill unarmored targets like say, civilians.

They've also purchased millions of plastic coffins.

Read up on it, everything I've said is a verifiable matter of public record.

So yeah, can see why the American public isn't in a rush to disarm itself.

BeMuse · Answer

People who do not have the right to defend their own lives are at the whims of others who decide if they live or die. If someone else can decide if you are to live or to die, then you are not a free person, you are their property to do with as they please. If they let you live then you live. If they want you gone, then you die. You are a slave. It's pretty fucking simple to see if you're not a slave with mental issues.

jjj101010 · Answer

America already has gun control, children can’t buy guns, I believe u must also be in the country for more than 90 days to buy a gun so tourists travelling on ESTAs can’t buy them.

Not sure if u can purchase one whilst drunk? Happy to be advised on that one.

Would a few extra rules be a good thing, probably but they will never outright ban them.

Would I own one? No probably not, you are statistically more likely to use it on yourself than someone else so I don’t need an extra person after me!

What extra rules would I put in place?
1. Can’t buy one whilst intoxicated (if it’s not a law already)

2. No automatic rifles

3. No grenades, RPGs

4. C4 and dynamite on a permit

These seem pretty sensible without infringing on peoples right to bear arms.

Would these stop gun violence? No. Would it help reduce mass shootings a bit? Can’t see it increasing them.

wouldn't ban hand guns, shot guns, semi automatic weapons

Kori1236 · Answer

I’m not American but from what I understand as a whole they do have gun laws they’re just poorly enforced so making more gun laws that won’t be enforced defeats the purpose. You definitely do have more idiots that are gun toting without a care but there are also responsible gun owners that follow the laws

lost-in-a-reverie · Answer

I think it's less fear of laws per se, and more not having knowledge of the many that are already on the books but failed to be enforced. If you look up many instances with shooters and state or national laws someone failed somewhere in that system. For instance Devin Patrick Kelley who committed the church shooting in Texas in 2017 was dishonorably discharged from the airforce which bars you from ownership, but the airforce didn't inform the FBI about it and he was able to pass background checks since nothing was there in his record that would have barred him from passing the check. Now would that have prevented the shooting? No clue, it's very easy to make a firearm, or he could've done a private sale that (I assume Texas doesn't require background checks on) and still gotten a firearm. Often it's the system in place that fails, not the need for more laws.

Hrumf · Answer

People are more concerned about their individual rights as Americans than the well-being of the collective.

There’s this mindset of if MY individual rights are violated, freedom is in danger because the second amendment says this is MY right.

SixFootSexy · Answer

Personally, I'm much less afraid of a mass shooter in the US than I am of government tyranny. Especially after you see what's happening in Sri Lanka. Our very own IRS:

Snsl153 · Answer

Americans are afraid of everything. It's really easy to manipulate the minds of those people, because they'll believe anything (like that the fauna in Australia is "out to kill you", and that we ride kangaroos to work/school).

Anonymous · Answer

Most highly educated Americans are against gun laws. The constitution is for people not otherwise. As time changes there must be amendments. Gun laws were incorporated as a basic right mostly because at that time was very violent and it was mostly due to racist ideologies. White slave owners feared slave revolts. A large section of the US is still highly racist.

The whole logic behind the government will take away your freedom is extremely dumb. Anti-science and intellectualism are highly visible among Americans that's why highly educated forenign talents do so well. People are against scientifically tested medicine, vaccine, and masks. European countries, Australia, and Asian countries have very strict gun laws, but still, their citizens are free. The government is made for at least to maintain some basic control otherwise chaos thrives.

Mijopapi2000 · Answer

Because it worked in Australia only in a way to benefit the government. Most of these shootings are fucking fake. They threw your people in camps over a fake virus which they would have never done had the people still had AR15s. The same thing happened in New Zealand first. They are not doing that in my country. Fuck that.

Anonymous · Answer

Gun control has not prevented mass shootings from occuring in the UK, so clearly it doesn't solve the problem.

It wouldn't solve the problem in the States either because this isn't random, it is an organised and sustained campaign, clearly therefore CIA or similar with the intention of disarming the American people so that it may better control them.

Resistance is the correct responce and that resistance should be escalated.

Anonymous · Answer

How can they be afraid of gun laws? There are over 80,000 federal and state gun laws and regulations already. Which ones do you want that we don't already have? The problem with any laws is, the criminals don't obey them. So no matter what you do, criminals will always have guns, or drugs, or whatever they want.

Lliam · Answer

Australians live under dictatorship. They trust "authorities" the way sheep trust shepherds. They have no concept of civil liberty, so explaining to them why rights have value is a waste of time.

Anonymous · Answer

They are fearful. Americans are under the impression that their personal stockpile is needed to fend off the US government. Forget the fact that if the government actually did come for them, their stockpile would never be enough, and that they truly could never actually defend themselves against their government. But until then, they just like to live the fantasy.

jahaims · Answer

You do know the places in America like Chicago that have some of the strictest firearm laws in America have the highest firearm crime rate right? Japan has some of the strictest firearm laws out of any country and their prime minister was just assassinated with a homemade firearm.

Ghostluck · Answer

Why are the other half of Americans afraid to arm themselves?

Real answer, is because different people have different solutions to problems, and because they have different solutions to problems, they both look at each other like they're idiots.

Moonshae · Answer

it is written in our constitution. it cannot be taken away and the government can't make a law to ban guns. it is as simple as that. They ban guns so they starting making pipe bombs or guns from pipe. Does that mean we ban pipe?

bamesjond0069 · Answer

You mean gun laws like if you commit a crime with a gun you go to jail a long time? Im American and I support those kinds of gun laws. Sadly we don't do this now and let violent offenders out in a year or two many times for good behavior and overcrowding.

AviatorTom · Answer

Most Americans are in favor of some kind of gun control. However, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is a very powerful organization that affects politics and makes it difficult for Congress to enact gun control laws.

nachosaresexy · Answer

This isn't a big mystery. Gun companies, and supporting organizations, give politicians lots of money to ensure no restrictions (including common sense stuff) gets in the way of selling guns & ammo.

dolemite89 · Answer

Certain people should only be allowed to buy guns sure but i think it’s just propaganda that having very strict laws against guns is going to stop anything in the states at least. There’s always illegal ways to get guns from different countries here so that just means making it harder for normal people to have buy legal guns will definitely ensure that just the criminals will have access to them still.

Anonymous · Answer

because we've all seen what happened in Australia during the covid times. I saw a mother get dragged from her house in front of her children for posting opinions online that the political party in charge didn't like. I saw a man get the shit beat out of him on the beach for not wearing a mask... outside! And my favorite thing of them all, we know about your "covid camps", and we know that they built them here as well, but they were not used here, and we all know why. They failed to disarm the American people. End of discussion.

Dargil · Answer

We have plenty of gun laws. Nobody enforces them.

The purpose of the Second Amendment is self defense against a rogue government like we have today. That's why they are obsessed with more laws and disarming us.

Anonymous · Answer

You Australians have shown, especially in the last two years, that you are willing to lay down and let your government walk all over your rights. Sounds like Americans just have a bit more spine than you.

LeeannaDD · Answer

Its actually a heated issue. So to say "Americans" as a blanket term is just wrong. As for why roughly half of us want to keep guns? Because thats how you keep your government honest.

exitseven · Answer

People are distrustful about any infringement on their rights. It is hard to determine what legal tricks the opposition can use to take a sensible law and turn it into something that totally takes away the constitutional rights of citizens.

Anonymous · Answer

Because they are entitled and programmed to think they can have whatever they want. And even those they are surrounded by people who are “adults” making terrible decisions either because of drugs (alcohol) or hate, a few thousand mass shootings isn’t enough. They will need it to hit closer to home to really understand. I pray none have to experience it

spartan55 · Answer

The first step in EVERY dictatorship in recorded history is to... wait for it... DISARM ITS CITIZENS... sound fun?

Anonymous · Answer

Because we don't want our constitution chipped away at and watered down. SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. Its very clear.

Gun laws work so well in Chicago don't they. You have 0 clue lady. You seem to have forgotten what happens to unarmed defenseless populations. How about you watch this and learn a thing or two about history.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/snM3hZfjS5s

demonics · Answer

Why does the conversation always get redirected AWAY from the people that are meant to be enforcing the law?

legalboxers · Answer

because they take the 2nd Amendment at face value. They think an AR-15 is the right to bare arms and each one is a well regulated militia. YOUR NOT FUCKING RAMBO

mark000h · Answer

We're not giving up our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms no matter who doesn't like it.

Massageman · Answer

Sorry Storm- excessive gun laws- or even basic, reasonable common sense laws- don't work or towns like Chicago would have no problems with guns, seeing as they have gun laws up their proverbial arse.

Pterodon · Answer

We have gun laws but it’s becoming clear they’re not being utilized. We have laws in place that could’ve prevented most of our mass shootings but it requires friends, family and acquaintances to alert law enforcement and they’re not doing it

Flower7 · Answer

I’m American but I’m against guns, so I agree with you.

Sparkie460 · Answer

Where I live we had a gun buy back recently. They say those guns would be destroyed but I know for a fact that they actually were put up for sale again. Take from one so you can give to another

jasco · Answer

We do have those types of laws. Other people by guns and give them to crazy people, ofc theirs the option of stealing a gun and using it against other people.

WhitneySnow · Answer

There’s a long tradition of gun ownership in America

BuLLdogLover03 · Answer

Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Hunting. Protection. I am always going to disagree

Cubus · Answer

Because Americans value freedom people in Europe/Canada/Australia don't have.

Shamalien · Answer

Mind your own business. Australia is a fking police state, did you see the internment camps last year for unvaxxed? Yeah, keep that nazi shit in the land down under where it belongs

Snakeyes7 · Answer

Fear isn't the word I would use but gun laws are useless for the same reason why the ban on alcohol failed and the war on drugs is a total flop.

Wraven · Answer

They're afraid of change.  Just like anyone else

fireforeffect · Answer

Because removing the ability for the citizens to defend themselves is the first step toward tyranny.
Our American Revolution started at Lexington and Concord over an attempt by the British to confiscate weapons of the States Militia.

joeldalton · Answer

Because you idiots were made prisoners in your own country for the past two years.

007kingifrit · Answer

australia literally has concentration camps for covid, why aren't YOU afraid of gun laws?

BLP11520 · Answer

Gun laws don't work. Criminals do what they do. Regular folk gets hassled. The nutjobs who shoot up school is a different subject. If we are armed, then our government can't turn communist on us.

jengeorge26 · Answer

Hey Stormy, all of the guys that I know don’t want to give up their guns…

Why are Americans afraid of gun laws?

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