Most people don't fear getting shot in the West. You are not free when your gov't controls what you see or what you say. That's just the truth to most people.
I fear getting shot all the time in CA. And not by gang bangers. I fear getting shot in church, at a political rally, at a crowded concert, a parade, a restaurant and definitely in my office, by some crazed, disgruntled person.
I think most Americans do. Just watch how people react when a firecracker goes off somewhere in a crowded area when it's not near Fourth of July.
Fear of mass gun death is part of our culture. Some people think arming more will prevent those deaths others think that will increase the odds of getting killed as more people on the edge become armed.
But why the heck are we debating what New Zealand does? They're very free there. Very. Free in many ways that we aren't. And if they chose to give up arms that's not the government taking away their freedom. That's them creating a social contract for the good of their nation.
But New Zealand isn't the US. We have a very unique culture here (my BA is in American Studies so I know it pretty well) and guns have been a part of it from the moment we became a nation.
Guns are part of our western mythology. They're part of our American identity. They're part of the fabric of our country, whether you like that or not and regardless of the ramifications.
Guns for many represent freedom, self reliance, independence, the little guy persevering over the tyrant, etc.
People in other countries don't realize how embedded guns are here and that as result, what happens in other counties regarding gun control is not going to happen here. If it didn't happen after Newtown it is not going to happen ever without fundamental changes to our national thinking.
