RE: German Angst - Fear and Loathing in Berlin
Thank you for leaving the link to this article on my post about American gun culture.
I really appreciate the opportunity to hear about world events, movements, and developments from the perspective of people who live in other countries and different cultures. I think that's one of the really cool things about Steemit--you get to read and consider all of these different points of view from people all over the world. In long-form!
I can understand how it would be difficult to let go of your hoplophobia that was drilled into you from all sides at an early age. Plus with all of the recent terror events and the media calamity they have engendered. I admire your resolve to separate emotion from reason in this case, and I empathize with your desire to help others to grasp what you have finally begun to see so clearly--that the main danger to our lives and freedom is not from guns or gun owners or even from ISIS. It's the state that poses a constant threat and obstacle to humanity.
If you ever find yourself in North Carolina, look me up and I will take you shooting. :)
Thank you so much for your thoughts! I completely agree with you about the exchanges with different cultures and it is precisely because I have actually talked to some "gun nuts" that I began to change my mind.
The Carolinas seem to be really cool, I've met a guy from South Carolina at Anarchapulco, who has a lot of guns. It is still pretty exotic for me, but he also was very nice and only crazy in a funny way (to me it, having 12 machine guns is crazy just like having 3 cars) . I've also met a lovely couple who have a shooting range and school in Jackson Hole. Very nice people and I'd feel very safe living among them. Actually even safer than here where only the German police "has my back".
On the other hand, as to visiting the US, I am more afraid of all your insane government agencies from TSA, to CIA, NSA, FBI, DEA....etc etc etc...than by the "gun nuts" I personally met.
Yes, all of our acronym agencies are really scary. Having traveled internationally, it is always a bit of a shock when I come home and experience the airport shakedown. All the more reason to "arm up", I suppose. At the gun store, we are expecting this fall with the lead-up to the presidential election to be the biggest sales period we've ever had. Our leftist politicians are the best unintentional gun salesmen in the world, and it's because of them and all of the jackbooted acronym agency thugs that people decide to go ahead and buy guns now, rather than putting it off until the ones they want are illegal. I fully expect gun ownership to exceed 50% of the population within the next year.
P.S. I was at the first Anarchapulco. Sorry I missed meeting you, if you were there.
I missed the first but never gonna miss one again! :-)