10 Stupid Things Brits Think About Americans

7. Americans Have Too Many Guns (And Aren't Afraid To Use Them)

http://youtu.be/cxGsNY_JPwk As of 2009, there are approximately 310 million non-military firearms in the USA. A survey conducted by Gallup in 2011 found that 47% of people have at least one personal gun at home. One has to wonder how it can be considered stupid of the British to think that the Americans have too many guns when they clearly have too many guns. However, that in of itself is not a bad thing. Switzerland is a neutral European state, but every man between 19 and 34 is a compulsory part of their standing army. Therefore all of these people carry a firearm in their homes, and yet their level of gun crime is so low that they don't even need to keep records on them. The NRA in America was designed especially in order to ensure the safe and legal usage of guns, and push forward the idea that guns don't kill people, people kill people. Yes, but people kill people a great deal more effectively with guns. Out of 16,000 homicides in the USA in 2009, 11,000 were carried out through the use of a firearm. Well, if you have one laying around the home, then why don't you go shoot your loud next door neighbour, or the living statue that clutters up the nice look of the local park? Yes, I'm exaggerating, but even with the NRA attempting to preach the safe use of guns, the Americans cannot deny the fact that it would probably be a lot safer if nobody had a gun in the first place. The police should have access to guns. So should the armed forces. Scarface would have been pretty boring without guns. But, the friendly neighbourhood alcoholic should not be allowed to get his hands on a gun on one of his 'sober days'. The illegal use of weapons is definitely not applicable to all Americans, as some British people may believe; but unfortunately the feeling of maintaining a gun is too widespread to be considered a silly Bristish stereotype about America. Level of Brit Stupidity: 2