More reading matter for you :

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99705

It's a cultural difference .Europeans have a totally different point of view , live in a different world .
Americans have a tendency to go over the top as far as firearms are concerned ,but I view it more as an equipment fetish.They are a very generous and outgoing people and love technology new and old - guns are a part of that .
Also it's a very big country and the police can't be everywhere.

When walking in the woods behind my house I feel a whole lot safer with my 12 guage shotgun . I've met a bear or two and it's not funny , sadly I've had to shoot a couple that wouldn't go away and posed a risk to my family and livestock .
If I was off roading in bear country ,I would definately carry a gun capable of putting one away should the need arise .

The other kind of [two legged] predator ,I'm not so sure about .On a motorcycle trip I would want to avoid the trouble spots and trying to get a gun across a border --- well it is sheer stupidity as far as I am concerned .

People have strange attitudes towards guns - I blame Hollywood !
For most ranchers up here they are just a tool of the trade and no more noteworthy than an electric drill or a pick up truck .

I received rifle training at school in England and if more youngsters were able to do that ,I feel that they would grow up more responsible and disciplined and not regard guns in a glamorous "Rambo" manner or conversely be scared stiff of firearms .

It's good advice to leave the guns at home when visiting a foreign country ,BCK 973 - you are right !

Dodger

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