Interesting that you should be baffled by this.

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Americans want to own guns? SHOCKING. Stop the presses.

How about something about other gun toting societies, like the middle east, where they're fired off into the air during significant events, even weddings.

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A MAN WITHOUT A GUN IS A SLAVE
A MAN WITH A GUN IS A FREE MAN

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What does this have to do with travel/tourism?

I agree with the above comments.

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What is it that you don't understand?

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"I think even the option of having one is like saying it's OK to kill if you have a good reason."

This isn't a fair assumption at all. Handguns are one thing, they are meant for use on humans. But shotguns? Hunting rifles? You can't really expect people to get rid of them in parts of the world where there are large, deadly mammals (bears, moose, cougars...) wandering around. No doubt you'll think I'm exaggerating but people in Western Canada die in cougar and grizzly attacks every year.

This photographer has evidently decided to highlight the most stereotypical, incendiary responses received. Plenty of "normal" non-homicidal people own guns for reasons that are more about practicality than paranoia or flag-waving.

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Owning a gun is kin to exercising the right to kill. You can protect your family/property etc without them, and also in a non-fatal way. Sure there are other gun toting societies out there but I don't believe that it's fundamentally written in their laws, or the controlling body is unable to stop gun possession. I see Americans use the constitution as an excuse to own a gun, but I don't believe your forefathers socio-economic situation way back when, is relevant to today's society. While it's true that guns don't kill people, people do, the same can be said that drugs don't kill people, people do. The fundamental issue is that the excuse is available and unfortunately, an easy out for people who abuse this "right". I don't mean to offend Americans with my statement, but it seems that the majority of responders are quicker to defend having gun possession, over looking at the bigger picture. I not owning guns reduces violent crime, does that not outweigh the right to own firearms? Owning a firearm only furthers the mentality of mutual deterrence, and does not foster more peaceful means. It's a false sense of security.

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When someone breaks into a home during the day, they are taking the chance that someone might be home. When someone breaks into a home at night, they are counting on the fact that people are home, and that intruder is prepared and intending to harm. I have 3 children and grew up in a home where hunting and target practice were the norm, and I am proud of that. My father taught me to handle a gun in protection of myself and my siblings if someone broke into our home and would not leave when threatened. I live in the country and if someone breaks into my home in the middle of the night, they are not going to have a half hour or so to do what they want before the police arrive. They have 5 seconds to turn around and get the hell out, or I will blow a hole in them the size of an elephant. I will protect myself and my family, and the right to bear arms enables me to do this. The crime committed in this situation would be the intruder entering my home with the intent to harm my family, not me defending my family with a weapon.

How would you puport that Americans protect themselves and their families? We are not a country who stands by and lets people hurt and take advantage of them. We are free to protect ourselves, as the whole world should be.

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Looked what happened in Russia under the Communist Stalin- guns seized from the people and over 100 million dead either via direct political murders or forced labor and starvation. China- weapons seized by Mao and the other Communists- over 120 million dead for the same reasons. I can go on: Vietnam, Cambodia,Cuba, etc. Guns seized from populace and people die. Look for a great documentary called "Innocents Betrayed" that details all of this very thoroughly. The people should not fear the government, the government should fear the people and therefore behave themselves. Our forefathers had the foresight and wisdom to understand this and give us the 2nd Amendment to our great constitution. Now, if we could only find leaders, instead of politicians to take us back to those values.

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Historically speaking....free democratic societies that have strict prohibitions regarding guns and the general public. Have unarmed lawabiding citizens that are terrorized by criminals that do have guns.

Non democratic societies that have strict gun controls are not free and are governed by militarized police or armys with guns who are directed by a dictator.

Democracys that allow the general populice the chioce of owning guns are by "concensus" considered safer and freer places to live. If you live in America and you don't like the gun laws here....go live or visit another country in one of the other categorys I mentioned above.

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Amen Brenda!

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Using the Constitution as an "excuse" for anything is pretty funny. Seriously #9, that made me laugh.

People incorrectly assume that if you own a gun, you get all wild and fire rounds into the air or at people just for fun, because that's one of those American stereotypes that's perpetuated. That's simply not the case. And having a firearm doesn't mean you will use it to kill indiscriminately.

The quotes listed above seemed actually reasonable from people who own them. I mean, it's not like they were shouting "yee haw let's go shoot some minorities!" They made sense. #8 is a good representation of a typical firearm owner, which is something that people will ignore to suit their own belief that Americans are lawless.

This blog post really has no place in a travel forum. Seriously.

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Amen Brenda and George. It is these little p.c. communist cowards that will destroy this country first from within, then from abroad

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People will carry guns if they feel there is a need for it. I don't feel the need, so I don't carry one. I thank God I live in a country where I feel safe, and I thank God for the right to carry a gun should I feel the need.

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I Love how this guy makes it sound like it's a Crime to be able to defend yourself.If You don't like guns then dont own them but don't tell the rest of America that they are wrong for choosing to have an option of not being a victim.Legal Gun sales are not made to people who have proved they shouldn't own them(Background Check),they are made to Citizens who cherish their lives and those of others they choose to defend.

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"They have 5 seconds to turn around and get the hell out, or I will blow a hole in them the size of an elephant." sure sounds like a reasonable response to me. I'm not trying to say that I am right, but merely expressing an outside view. I have a lot of American friends and family, and they do not choose to own guns. Nor do I believe that all gun owning Americans are "rednecks" that shoot just for fun. Do you see what I mean by defensiveness when it comes to gun ownership issues? Nowhere in my post did I even mention the notion that Americans are "lawless".

In response to Ken, are you saying that guns=peace? You cannot compare the situation in America with those in Russia, Vietnam or China for that matter. The trouble with the gun ownership issue is that there are too many grey areas, and the fact that both supporters and non-supporters often use worst case scenarios to highlight their points.

S. Watts, I do live in a fee democratic society that has strict prohibitions regarding guns and the general public. We are not terrorized by gun toting criminals, and our crime rates are much lower than yours.

"Non democratic societies that have strict gun controls are not free and are governed by militarized police or armies with guns who are directed by a dictator." - So if the populace had guns, these societies would by democratic or more free? Having a gun or not is NOT the reason that these governments are in power.

"Democracys that allow the general populace the choice of owning guns are by "consensus" considered safer and freer places to live" - considered my who? Britain has the strictest gun control laws in the EU, are you telling me that they would consider the US a safer place to live?

I live in Alberta, and in my City gun ownership isn't prohibited, but the society as a whole does not support gun ownership. Yes there is crime and yes there are criminals with guns, but the instances and occurrences of these crimes are far less prevalent. Sure I agree that you should do everything that you can to protect your family, but do you seriously think that a gun toting criminal will be less inclined to act if they know that you have a gun in hand? It is more likely that both parties will resolve to firearms use and therefore not only will the likelihood of fatality be higher, but the likelihood of collateral damage is higher (stray hits, etc.).

I'm sure that some of you are well trained and well versed in using firearms, but can you say the same for the other gun owners out there? How can you know if a criminal is intent on hurting you or your family? How do you know if that person would of left you alone if you let them take your property? I'm not saying that you shouldn't protect your family against rapists and the like, but out of all the crimes in your country, how may of them are rapes/killers vs less violent acts that may have turned uglier due to collateral damage or failed deterrence?

My father owns a Jewelry store and was robbed at knife point by two people in January. He told them that they could take whatever they wanted and leave, and they were about to. In the end, a customer walked in and spooked the crooks, and both him and my father had to fight off the robbers. In this situation, the robbers were not intent of harming my dad, but resolved to violence when threatened. I much rather my father sustain cuts and bruises rather than a bullet.

And a response to Nick, "having a firearm doesn't mean you will use it to kill indiscriminately", and neither did I lean to that fact in my previous post. The fact of the matter is that if you are defending yourself with a gun, you will be shooting at the largest target available, torso or head. And in doing this self defense, you have shot a potentially fatal weapon indiscriminately at the opponent. Again, I know that some will have the skill to shoot at arms, legs, etc, but again, can you say that for the rest of the populace?

I think gun control is the way to go, reduce the source, reduce the risk, reduce the impact. But in America's situation, it would be difficult because gun ownership seems to be ingrained in the American psyche. I'm not saying that guns should be banned, but stricter rules, regulations, laws be put into place so that those of you who are actually responsible, are the only ones that can gain access to firearms. Looking from the outside as a non-American, it just seems way to easy to get a gun from anywhere in the US. I'm not criticizing your right to bear arms, I'm just trying to understand comments like, "I think the ownership of arms is not only a right, but the duty of a free people to themselves and future generation". It just seems to me that owning a firearm is no longer for protection, but rather because it's the "American" thing to do, hence my statement about using the Constitution as an excuse to have a gun. Do you all live in places so dangerous that a gun is a necessity?

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Thanks for blogging about my book -- I invite everyone to visit http://www.armedamerica.org to see more photographs and also, if you're curious, to watch the "making of" video which you can see on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOAJgtHSo8E

kyle

--
http://www.kylecassidy.com

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Oh, and Ken, just because I'm Chinese doesn't mean I'm communist. Let's keep the discussion on topic.

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Takeo, you are highly mistaken, even in you're first sentace. We do not live in a Democratic society or Democracy. We live in a Republic. A group of United States that form the republic. A nation of men and laws, not of Gov and Laws to controll the men. Big difference.
Read the pledge of allegience and the constitution.
A Democracy is a Gov for controll of the people, not a gov. of the people, whe represent the people.

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Thank you for all the responses, I am still trying to understand where most of you guys stand on this issue and would like to see more reasons behind your positions, and I'm glad I was able to get some reasonable replies. I enjoy seeing what you guys have to say from your end of the continent, please continue to enlighten me. As for the flamers, feel free to keep laying the smack talk on me. I already know how you guys think.

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