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Gun cultures are found around the world, and evidence various attitudes towards guns in such places as the United States, Honduras, El Salvador, Australia, the Philippines, Germany, and Switzerland. "Gun culture" is defined as the attitudes, feelings, values, and behavior of a society, or any social group, in which guns are used. Among the most studied and discussed global gun cultures is that of the gun culture in the United States.

Gun cultures in North and Central America

United States

Gun culture in the United States is rooted all the way back to the very first colonists who arrived on the Mayflower. Since then guns have spread into every aspect of American life, ranging from paintball, to videogames, to kitchen appliances that look like guns and shoot salad. There are even competative sniper rifle shooting competitions. Shooting clubs can be found nearly everywhere, as are war re-inactor groups, and there are themeparks where audiences may watch staged gunfights as entertainment. Guns in the United states are a common gift, and they are produced in all manner of sizes shapes and colors; there are even guns designed for children. Guns are often considered by style rather than function, and all manner of other items can be easily found in gun form including jewelry, toys, tools, cigarrette lighters, clocks, etc. Americans are "the" gun culture, far dwarfing any others elsewhere, and guns pervade nearly every color of the American experience.

Central America

Countries in Central America that have a long and difficult history of colonialism and dictatorships are particularly susceptible to destabilization caused by guns. Christian Parenti, in Tropic of Chaos (2012), singles out Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, all countries that saw counterinsurgencies and the extensive killing of civilians by government forces; in those three countries, says Parenti, are found "a gun culture with large populations of unemployed men habituated to violence, discipline, secrecy, pack loyalty, brutality", and violence is everywhere.

Gun cultures in Europe

United Kingdom

The U.K. gun culture is represented by shooting sports.

Gun cultures in Asia

Japan

A gun culture in the Western sense never developed in Japan. According to David Kopel, weapons there "always were, and remain today, the mark of the rulers, not the ruled." He wrote: "In short, while many persons may admire Japan's near prohibition of gun ownership, it is not necessarily true that other nations, such as the United States, could easily replicate the Japanese model. Japan's gun laws grow out of a culture premised on voluntary submission to authority, a cultural norm that is not necessarily replicated in Western democracies."

Pakistan

Gun ownership, especially in the mountainous northwest, is part of traditional Pakistani culture. Rifles are handed down from generation to generation for hunting and for celebratory fire. In the 21st century, increases in terrorist threats, and particularly in urban kidnappings, extortions, and robberies, has led to an increase in civilian demand for guns for self-protection.

See also

• History of the firearm
• Overview of gun laws by nation

References

1. "Global Gun Cultures". Thomson Reuters. 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
2. Collins English Dictionary. Collins. 2014 http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/gun-culture. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. Fisher, Max (December 15, 2012). "What makes America's gun culture totally unique in the world, in four charts". Washington Post. Washington D.C. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
4. http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1886076_1857761,00.html
5. Parenti, Christian (2012). Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. Nation. p. 34. ISBN 9781568587295.
6. "The British Association for Shooting & Conservation". BASC. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
7. Kopel, David B. (1993). "Japanese Gun Control". guncite.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
8. Wonacott, Peter (January 6, 2009). "For Middle-Class Pakistanis, a Gun Is a Must-Have Accessory: With Kidnappings and Violence on the Rise, Demand for Weapons Permits Grows". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 26, 2014.

External links

• Collins English Dictionary definition of gun culture
• Open fire. Understanding global gun cultures.

• Firearm laws
• Gun politics
• History of subcultures