What Do Guns Mean to Americans?

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Written by Paul Helmke, President, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence


When I was 12, I earned an NRA Marksmanship badge at YMCA Camp.  I enjoyed learning how to fire a gun at a target and worked at becoming better with practice.  But I also took away a deep respect for how dangerous guns were.

Americans have a long history with guns.  We used them to tame the frontier, and many Americans consider them important for hunting wildlife or managing pests.  But Americans' views on guns often differ depending on where they live.

If you're in the bayous of Louisiana, or the plains of Montana, a gun can be your defense against predators. When the police are far away, you may feel strongly about needing a gun for self-defense.  And if someone says we should restrict guns, you worry.

But in urban areas like Philadelphia or South Central Los Angeles or even my home town in Indiana, guns may be best known for injuring young people as a result of gang violence, or police officers at a traffic stop or domestic quarrel. But when you say "we need to controls the weapons available on the streets," other Americans misinterpret you as wanting to limit their rights.

This is why we've had a passionate debate about guns.  Finding common ground may have been aided by the Supreme Court decision in June that Americans have a right to have a firearm in their home but that reasonable restrictions on gun access are also lawful. 

Guns are always going to be available to law-abiding citizens.  But we can take steps to make it harder for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons.