I'm not sure what the deal with Switzerland is exactly, but I'm fairly certain it is an outlier.
It is also fairly clear that violence is enabled and fed by the social mentality that trivializes and even glamourizes the possession and use of firearms.
I disagree, slightly. My thoughts are more inline with Alceste's. Yes, the possession and use of firearms is glamorized, but I don't think that is the only problem. The bigger issue, in my humble opinion, is that violence is trivialized and glamorized. With or without guns, people would behave the same. Just look at the UK. Guns are either severely restricted or proscribed (I can't quite remember). After the restrictions were enacted, violent crime didn't decrease; rather, knife attacks increased. Guns aren't the only factor. It's a culture that glamorizes violence in general that is to blame. Guns are only a means to an end.
I've always been of the opinion that every gun owner is a law abiding citizen until he/she crosses the line and breaks the law with their firearm
(I removed a majority of your quote to save space.)
I agree with almost everything you have said. I am not bothered by guns in particular; I am bothered by the people that own them and the ease at which they can be obtained. Personally, I would be very happy if the world could be eliminated of all violent weapons, but that will never happen. You can't get rid of the weapons, but hopefully, one day, we can get rid of the sick mentality that drives people to use them against other human beings.
Pretty much. America is a very sick culture.
Agreed. I have personally had violent thoughts and fantasies in the past. It sickens me to think about them. It sickens me even more to know that the vast majority of my fellow Americans probably have them too. What is to stop us from acting on them? Where did we learn that it's acceptable to have such thoughts?
Switzerland doesn't suffer from the same social ills the US does. In particular, income inequality and the failure to correct poor public policy that creates poverty and discontent.
I couldn't agree more. I think that as a society, we need to address these issues. I remember watching a documentary on gang violence a while back. A former gangster (I am referring to the real type; not the wannabe kiddie gangsters) spoke about how he had joined up because he didn't have any other outlets. He was young, angry, and didn't have a bright future or a life worth living. The gangs offered what he needed. I assume that if he had been provided with more opportunities and a better outlook, he would have not felt the need to join a criminal organization.
A friend they were staying with saw them leave with the guns and ammo and they even told a neighbor that they were going to carry out an attack, but the two idiots didn't call the cops! Wtf?!
This is tricky. I, personally, have the mentality that if somebody I knew was serious about carrying out an attack, they would not brag about it
prior to carrying it out. If somebody said that to me, I would assume they were joking and probably just going out to hunt. That's why I think that it would be best if people didn't joke about violence. It would solve a lot of issues.
