Congressman Thomas Massie’s Xmas picture.

Yes I have seen it, it is all over social media. The crassness of this is stunning after the recent school shootings. What on earth makes someone think this is a good idea? And still, people will vote for him.

It will probably amaze you to know how many people (including other US Congressmen) think it’s a good Christmassy idea.The width between us here in the UK and the US on the gun question is very wide.
We are far less keen on guns in public ownership ( or routinely armed police) than other countries in Europe as well.
To most here, a photo like that seems not only bad taste but frightening.

The width between us is massive on many things lemongrove, including the sickening worship of guns. There is the strange mindset of those campaigning very strongly to effectively end safe abortion and even freely accessible birth control, and then supporting the death penalty.

Says it all really.

Ethan Crumbly's parents had bought the gun he used to kill 4 students in his schoolm as a Christmas present.

That is why they are being charged with involuntary manslaughter.

My husband is American and we lived there for 5 years, early 1980's. We were in New Mexico and people carried guns and shotguns around in the open. I never got use to it and was happy that we settled here in 1985.
My husband is against them and despairs when we hear if yet another shooting but says it will never change as its part of the amendment to carry arms.
Again it's the republicans and right wing people there who won't allow change.

I think it is an illustration at how different in fact American culture is from European culture.

It is and rightly, here especially we abhor them. Even in Europe their police carry guns. In Spain, the Guardia Civil you wouldn’t want to pull a stunt. A Spanish friend said to us once, even with us, if they say on a Friday ‘it’s Tuesday’, then it’s Tuesday.

But picture this. Yes I’m playing Devil’s Advocate.
Think of the sheer size of the USA. In rural areas. Wide open ‘Big Country’. A ranch or maybe a homestead on the plains. No neighbours for miles. Certainly no police patrolling any time soon.

How safe would you feel? Drifters, grifters, druggies. I can understand how the amendment passed considering some of the locations. Big cities? No way José. But in the outback? Possums might not be your only concern.

Just a thought.

The amendment was passed in 1791. I don't think they meant it to allow people to carry semi-automatic weapons in MacDonalds

PS - the outback is in Australia and you're still not allowed to shoot drifters in the US, even if you don't like the way they look.

I'm fairly sure that the purpose of the 'right to bear arms' in 1791 was to secure defence against aggressive invasion by foreign powers (probably with fears of the British trying to retake 'their' colony in mind). It ensured an armed pool of citizens from which to form an army.

And the need to hunt for food and defend against wild animals.

I don't think that the founding Fathers visualised the lengths to which it would be taken by their descendants.

I can't see it changing, ever...

It 's a very strange way for a man who describes himself as a Christian to convey peace and goodwill to the world at Christmas.

When I saw this photo I felt physically sick.

What is wrong with these people????

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/06/republicans-christmas-photo-thomas-massie-trump

Don't they look smug.

But it illustrates what I have always thought, that the fact that US and UK speak a broadly similar language, hides the fact that, culturally, we have about as much in common with the US as we have with China.

EU countries may speak languages that most of us do not understand, but culturally we are all very similar.

I find that picture abhorrent.

M0nica

But it illustrates what I have always thought, that the fact that US and UK speak a broadly similar language, hides the fact that, culturally, we have about as much in common with the US as we have with China.

EU countries may speak languages that most of us do not understand, but culturally we are all very similar.

I completely agree with this, and it’s exactly what I thought when I saw that repulsive picture.

varian

When I saw this photo I felt physically sick.

What is wrong with these people????

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/06/republicans-christmas-photo-thomas-massie-trump

That is just dreadful!!

Even the young girl is brandishing an automatic.

America never used to be this bad, did it?
Although we did have an immigration official pull his gun once at an airport. DH was not doing as he he was told by me and thought he was being helpful.

The American addiction for guns, is not based on all the dodgy people who happene to be around. if no one was allowed guns there would be fewer people around to use guns to scare people, the right to have a gun is based on a misunderstanding, or ignorance of what the purpose of the relevant Constitutional Amenedment was.

The amendment says A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The meaning of this, in the context of the early years of the USA, when, with a small population spread over a huge area, and communications and travel was difficulty,was, that if there was a danger, the local governor could call up the militia, essentially a group like our territorial army and immediately have a body of armed men ready to serve their country. when, had he had to contact Washington and then wait for the cavalry to come over the hill, he could be waiting months, by which time the threat, whatever it was would have overcome them.

It was never intended to mean that anyone anywhere could have a gun for any purpose and act as a one man militia in their own favour.

Yes it illustrates the cultural differences between the Uk and USA. The language is similar, the cultures widely different

Jon Sopel has written an excellent book - ‘If only they didn’t speak English’, which describes the cultural differences between us and the USA.

Thank you all. I stand corrected in my misinterpretation of the whys and wherefores of why guns were possibly regarded as a defence in remote areas. (Not the ‘outback’ Alegrias quite right!).

I bet the people who sent that Xmas picture are pro life. I’ve had conversations on Facebook with some Americans that seem to have very conflicting ideas ( imo).