Now most Americans favor a bloated military budget for what we call defense. In truth, armed Americans were mainly Indian killers in those days, rarely in retaliation, frequently in expeditionary militias. The Black Hawk War against the Sac and Fox of Illinois, in which Abraham Lincoln was a militia captain, ended with a brutal slaughter of men, women and children, cut to pieces as they tried to escape across the Mississippi River. We have an historical connection with guns, from long rifles to machine guns. It goes deeper than that.
Weapons are part of manhood for many men.
They feel more confident with a gun in their holster. They associate guns with phallic power, just as we do with cars and rockets. These are delusions, but popular ones which the media both exploits and promotes. Our constitutional rights have been shredded by the courts and legislators, while the media has undermined them in the pursuit of profit. It is up to the people to understand and protect their rights and practice them responsibly, because our government and the media damn sure aren't going to.