It was also a time of many local wars and conflicts between new immigrant groups putting down roots in a land owned by an indigenous people. As more and more European immigrants came to this so-called "New World" it became necessary to form local police forces (militias) and for citizens in far outposts to have the means to protect themselves. And too, hunting to put meat on the table and for furs to protect from the hostile elements depended on skills with the gun or rifle. Those were rough, tough days when the gun was usually the tool used to settle disputes between individuals, marauding Indians, and law posses hunting armed outlaws.
That is not the situation now. Two hundred and ten years later, presumably we are more civilized and enlightened now and gun-toting and gun use should be at a minimum. The point is that as long as Americans are loathe to shed that part of their distant past and end the fanatical glorification of violence then incidents like what happened in Tucson, Arizona will become more commonplace. It's a deadly combination: spaced out, barely literate kid, hate speech elevated to a national pastime, easy access to guns, political spit-balling, and a pliant media masturbating for the next big story and we are going to have many more Columbines and Arizonas in the pipeline.
But hey, what do I know?
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