kane

I grew up in a small town in the country so I have been around guns my whole life and have seen things that would make some European's heads spin around.

A few examples:

A local bank ran a special. Open a new checking or savings account with at least $1,000 in it and you get a free gun.

I can remember at least two times there were charity auctions to raise money for some school event and among the items up for sale were guns.

One of my friends slept with a loaded shotgun under his mattress from the time he was maybe 12 or 13. Not under the bed, under the mattress between it and the box spring. If you laid on the bed you could feel the bump. He wanted it near in case he needed it.

A classmate of mine made a shotgun in high school woodshop class. Not only did he make it, the teacher took it outside, on school property during class, and fired it a few times when he was done to make sure it was safe.

I grew up around several people who made sure they were never more than arms reach from a gun. They owned several guns and had them placed around the house so no matter where they were they could reach and pull it out at any time.

Just a few off the top of my head. It's safe to say we have a full-blown love affair with guns.