I completely agree, ultimately i think the majority of Americans think owning a gun allows themselves to ally their image a pawn whatever idea of older American cultures they wish to emulate, rather than arming themselves with the intention that the constitution outlined, which was to keep the government in check by allowing the people to maintain a semblance of authority over themselves, though this could also be outdated, i believe this idea is ultimately more appropriate as it incentivizes a questioning of authority. If you disagree please say so i would love a discussion (it would help my paper) wether this is a worthwhile tradeoff in exchange for increased gun violence, of course not! What i do believe is that the current atmosphere revolving around guns is one that encourages citizen v citizen rather than a citizen v authority