Gun Culture

Unfortunately it’s in the second amendment in the US constitution, that they have a right to bear arms but as that constitution was written in the 1700s and they’ve moved on from new settlers and the Wild West I do believe now they should make significant changes, the gun lobbyists are very powerful players and have a significant influence and money in congress so unless something fundamental changes with their laws and the gun lobbyists these tragedies will keep happening in America, but as Canada doesn’t have right to bear arms but they do have gun lobbyists it will be interesting to see if any changes are made there, it’s upsetting every time there is a school shooting but probably not surprising anymore but I am surprised it’s in Canada and not the US

Canada is vast. Food in the remote north is incredibly expensive due to the high transportation costs. Hunting for moose, deer etc is a part of life and subsistence hunting puts food on the table. It is an important part of indigenous culture.

What happened in Tumbler Ridge is tragic. I haven’t seen any news confirming what type of weapon was used. I expect it was a hunting rifle and not a handgun.

The Canadian Federal government does have a gun amnesty and compensation program in operation at the moment in relation to 2,500 models of assault style firearms.

Rural Canada has a lot of recreational shooting, it’s quite normal to hunt etc. it’s just different to here. They don’t have the number of incidents the USA has

Making guns illegal wouldn't change anything when so many people already have them and would still want them if they were made illegal. It'd just create massive profits for criminals. At least while guns are illegal people pay taxes when they buy one and there are some restrictions over who can buy them, have to register them etc.

I agree, OP, but this has been going on for decades and they show no sign of changing their ways.

I think gun culture in the US (in particular) is something that Europeans simply do not understand. Their advocacy of it runs very deep.

FFS any Swiss person who wants bullets, has bullets, just like Canada. The point stands.

The cultural piece is in America:

Guns + fragmented dreadful societal structure + mass shooting culture = mass shootings

The same isn't true for the Swiss or Canadians.

Switzerland: Privately owned firearms (civilian rifles, handguns, etc.): Owners can freely buy and store ammunition at home (no strict quantity limits under federal law, though some cantonal fire-safety rules may apply). Ammunition is widely available at gun shops, ranges, and even online/mail order.

Switzerland has one of the highest civilian gun ownership rates in Europe (and among developed countries generally), with roughly 27–28 firearms per 100 people in recent estimates.

No. You have no skin in this game. Utter waste of time wringing your hands over this.

No offence but you cant have much else going on if you have emotional energy to waste like this.

AI gave a detailed answer based on numerous Swiss people's accounts, as well as the law.

What your Swiss friend told you was probably a porky pie - or maybe their English isn't very good?

You can go and buy bullets and then store them at home. You just don’t get military issue bullets any more.

AI says this is not true

What makes you think the Swiss don’t have bullets?

It’s a bit culturally ignorant to not understand why they have a gun culture. Until recently I thought it was ridiculous, but after a trip to Texas I can now see why it’s such an emotive and nuanced topic, that while kids shouldn’t have access to automatic weapons, their perceived freedom and constitution was only possible because citizens were armed.

And Canada has a wildly different gun culture to the US, so I wouldn’t be lumping them together on this topic.

I just think the gun culture over there is so deeply ingrained, it will never change. Right back from when the European settlers first arrived, the culture was 'kill or be killed'. I don't know what it will take for laws to change.

How are they supposed to get rid of all the guns? Bit late now

It might be helpful to separate the idea of a gun culture from that of a mass killing culture. The US has both, Canada does not.

Switzerland has a higher proportion of households with guns than even the US, and homicides are virtually unheard of there.

'Does anyone else actually get angry at America/ Canada pro gun culture?'

How can you possible for one second think you are the only person who is upset or angry about this? I am American and all my friends are beside themselves with rage and grief over the current situation (including our insane gun problem). I spoke to three friends yesterday who are just in the process of getting Austrian citizenship because of the climate here.

Please don't think that Americans all accept and embrace these things. I don't know a single person who isn't desperate to change the situation.

"'No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens"