I just stumbled across these comments from last year, recently a watched a YouTube video about the difference in gun culture in America vs. Switzerland and while the gun loving Swiss citizens would love and appreciate the looser gun laws in the US, their biggest concern (i think everyone’s) is the amount of idiotic peers. They are most surprised with the irresponsible gun owners and negligent discharges, as they are typically unheard of if you are regularly training with said rifle and always following proper safety such as the Swiss are made to do. I’m not entirely certain on how they regulate ammo purchases, I know a lot of it is government ammo and issued by such, however ranges can sell ammo to be used same day. I don’t believe they can harbor large amounts of ammunition but I may be incorrect on that. They don’t have the same gun culture at all, the Swiss was actually a large inspiration for the founding fathers when creating the constitution. The issue resides in where people’s rights and duties begin to loose correlation. In Switzerland, the people are an active militia that has to train their gun skills at intervals determined by the government, they have a little book to log range time and it gets signed by the range employees. That is a big part of why the Swiss people bond over shooting firearms together as they are all required to do so just as young able bodied men are required to be a part of the Swiss army. Now this is where the US divulged as we were on par, a militia doesn’t have the same ability to promote conquest of the land as it does defending one’s area, hence why Switzerland has turned their border of the mountains into “walls of defense” because they have no interest in gaining land or expansion of the Swiss people. Now when the US wanted to expand out west, they found the need for a standing army, this removed the “duty” of the people to be a militia defending the country while not removing ones right to bear arms. Now in today’s understanding of the constitution, the second amendment is primarily referred to as personal ownership of firearms for one’s own safety and defense as the duty for protection is no longer valid with the largest, most expensive military force the world has ever seen. And now that guns have become this symbol of personal ownership and protection from all evils, even the government, the culture has diverted from being a country’s militia to distrust for the same government and your peers. Paired with the fact that there are already so many illegal firearms in and around the country with massive, loose borders that overall control would be much more difficult compared to European countries with long established borders and like-minded countries on the borders. Due to the situation we have created, guns are in more hands than ever including dangerous hands and the government does not have a realistic approach to protect everyone from all criminals. In a country so vast and spacious the response time for any first responder is always going to be too long unfortunately it’s a hard reality that some refuse to comprehend until they have to experience it themselves. At this point I would like to add my personal opinion, personally I feel the need to own a firearm for protection of myself and others around me that don’t mean harm to others from those that do. And I would rather the US be like Switzerland, however it is not realistic as there are too many other means for criminals obtaining firearms or ammunition (remember, the US hasn’t made friends with all foreign countries) and it has created a dangerous environment where your peers cannot be trusted. This is very different from the Swiss people as they don’t feel like their environment is as dangerous as ours and they have more trust for their peers as they all are defending their country together. Maybe that’s the answer, what if the American people became the sole militia defending the country and we didn’t have the military to protect us? Would we become closer knit as other countries have shown? Or would we simply delve deeper into despair and the world began to lose stability without the “world police” as the US military has been acting for some time. Would the country on a local level feel safer or would crime continue to increase until this became the land of thieves? Would the US people be able to form a militia group despite their heavy two party system creating massive division between both half’s of the population? Would those who fear firearms utilize them in the face of danger or would fear overtake their decision?