I'm European and I can appreciate a nice gun.

American - in my life i think I've heard two people talk about gun collections. One is an idiot. The other one just mentioned it because she was telling me a story about moving her father-in-law's things and getting stopped at a federal checkpoint with guns in her car.

I feel that way about guns and I'm American. It isn't a hobby, it isn't a passion, it's a fetish. They never want to admit why they're so adamant on having access to any amount of guns they want isn't for any practical purpose outside they think they're cool and they feel powerful owning them. There's also a subset of gun owners here who have guns for "home defense" but they fantasize about someone breaking into their house so they can shoot them. It's god damn sick, I hate gun ownership culture here. The last reason people love to trot out is the 2nd amendment will help protect the people against a corrupt government, again playing to the sense that gun nuts are some how on part training and mentality wise to a professional military. If the US government ever tried suppressing the population using the military, no amount of Big Gun-Nut Energy and a closet full of guns will stop the real soldiers.

The only way we'll ever curb mass shootings is to pass laws restricting gun ownership to the types of guns with low capacities like break action shotguns or low capacity bolt action rifles. Essentially just down to hunting firearms. But that will never happen here, it's typically right leaning folks who love their guns an unhealthy amount, and right leaning politicians are swing further and further into crazy shit to appease their extreme voting base.

So instead of any good sense gun laws, we get laws being repealed to make gun ownership easier and easier, open carry, conceal carry etc etc. To even hint at laws to bring down the the amount of mass shootings, people screech like howler monkeys. They love the "slippery slope" argument, where any law to restrict any type of gun will lead to the government coming and forcefully taking their guns. They are crazy people.