It keeps the country safe . . .
RVHH, my general view in life is that making things best for everyone, from local to global actors, is the best strategy for almost all social problems. Everyone owning a gun doesn't have to be how to keep a country safe.
Look at the countries with the best statistics crimewise. A better, long-term strategy is to take care of everyone's basics. Make sure the kind of people who make such desperate decisions as breaking into homes etc are as few as possible. Meaning, they all have good healthcare, decent education all the way to University, decent salary, work-life balance. When people have that, crime REALLY has to promise a massive incentive to entice them into it, and most crime doesn't. This is better than all the guns in the world.
Rich people in those social democracies long realized it's safer (and cheaper) for them and their wealth if everything is decent for everybody and not just those with at least 100,000 a year salaries; when there are very few desperate people in their society, everyone is better off (especially the wealthy!)
Then you need less investments in guns and military-like police. Keep them only to manage the few crazies influenced by stomfront and similar. The problem in the US and third-world countries like our own .ke is police are used essentially as a way to manage the poor.
I agree somewhat, but the US story is always not told properly. Negative news spread very fast. I think the US has a large population than those countries with "good statistics" that live in peace and thrive on all fronts- economically being at the forefront. I think by large, over 200 million people in the US live and have a good life than any other group around the globe. Those 200 million have a great education, health, safety, and everything than their global peers. The bottom or around 20 million people are messing it for all of us. If you look at high crime rates, poor education, poor health, and the other parameters, it is confined to smaller populations in silos, but is always magnified by often biased media to reflect the entire thriving US. America's middle class, upper class to wealthy are the safest of any group despite what you hear and read. In my house, like most US households dialing 911 takes less than 7 minutes for first responders to arrive. My address is 3 minutes for the fire department, 5 minutes for the police, and about 6 minutes for the EMT team. That is an unprecedented level of safety for the overall US population. Now with millions of sane people with guns, their safety is even on another level. I just think that the few poor people and the mentally challenged should be treated better than throwing them in jail or gunning them down left right and center whenever they act out. Also, stricter gun laws, especially for mentally sick people be the norm. I have lived in the US for 20 years and there is nowhere I feel safe in the world than the streets of America. As long as you are sane and not starting anything it is guaranteed nothing will touch you in the US, but if you are mentally challenged, or the kind of person who starts shit, guarantee you will get something at some point. Don't start shit and there won't be shit, DMX- That is very true of US. You keep it to yourself, and you wont to catch a case EVER. There was a statistic that showed 99% of US gun owners (not hunters) go their entire life without firing it; that, Kadame, shows the place is secure. Insane and poor people are perennial problems and are sure it is the same case worldwide. I agree work-life balance here is not good and may be that is what is driving loose cannons to the edge. There are more jobs and opportunities than people and in a capitalistic world where the dollar is the king, people overwork. With overworking, stress and other ills follow!