Is American Gun Culture 'Crazy?' Perhaps Not
Germans for the most part dislike firearms, and are taught to lock their doors and rely on the police when faced with an imminent threat. So what's it like for a young German couple living in gun-loving, gun-dependent America? According to this personal account from Germany's Stern magazine, members of the U.S. Immigration an Naturalization Service ought to take care when coming to call!
By Milan Obradovic
Translated By Hartmut Lau
November 12, 2005
Original
Article (German) 
Living in America
We Germans abhor firearms, even for self-defense, but we insist on having four locks securing each of our homeĖs doors. Americans own two semi-automatic 9mm pistols, but like to leave their doors unlocked. Which one of us is actually more schizophrenic?
The door to our place doesnĖt inspire very much confidence. Rickety plywood, just like the outside walls - if you can even legitimately describe stucco-covered wood as a "wall." If somebody wanted to break into our place, he could kick the wall in as easily as he could the door. ThereĖs no feeling of security, even though we actually have two doors, a normal one and a pretty stable screen door and four locks between the two of them.
Since weĖre good Germans, we lock all four locks whenever we leave the house, even if itĖs only for half an hour. After all, you canĖt rely on the neighbors if something dodgy happens. But what if weĖre at home and there nevertheless is a break-in? For example, by some frustrated crack-heads? We think, "Nah, thatĖll never happen." And it better not, because even though we could buy a gun here without any problem, my wife wonĖt allow such a thing in the house. WeĖd be helpless in an emergency.
By contrast, the norm in American suburbs is to not even lock the door at all. And itĖs not necessary, since the police regard you as a suspicious and stop to question you if youĖre seen walking from point A to point B after dark. If you feel so safe that you donĖt even lock your door, then why do you need a cabinet full of semi-automatic weapons for self-defense? Defense against whom? The Bible study group? The Mexican gardener? The high-school cheerleader?
At the level of national psychological traits, these differences could be perhaps explained as follows. Germans distrust their neighbors and their fellow citizens in general, hence their compulsion about locking up. That deters opportunist thieves. Whatever the remaining risk of being burgled might be, itĖs accepted - what else can you do? Since weapons for self defense are rejected, the implicit assumption is that a burglary will happen when the residents are not home.
If a home invasion nevertheless takes place, we Germans trust in the burglarĖs mercy or the quick reaction of police. The possibility that weapons might be needed for civil disobedience in the face of an oppressive State, say when police or a militia are burglars, is never even contemplated. Despite well-known examples of oppression by the authorities during our history, we Germans trust the authorities to guarantee justice and order as much as we always have. The governmentĖs monopoly on violence remains unchallenged. Private individuals are to avoid using violence, even when their lives are at stake.
By contrast, Americans completely trust in the goodness of their neighbors, if not mankind in general. Thus the doors can remain unlocked. However, a stranger can only be up to no good if heĖs tramping around after dark in a neighborhood full of upright citizens. The stranger has to justify himself to the authorities if he does such a thing. Should a determined thief manage to get all the way to the door, then locks wouldnĖt keep him out anyway. If the homeowner isnĖt there, he would - pro forma - have locked the door; however, itĖs not the flimsy lock but rather the attentive neighbor that deters the thief.
The 9mm Walther P99 Semi-Automatic
In the event of a break-in while the owner is home, you have to expect the worst case - body and soul, partner and children, and all your worldly goods are being threatened. You can expect neither mercy nor good sense from criminals - otherwise they wouldnĖt be criminals, would they? Therefore you have to reach for your weapon, something no court in the U.S. would consider inappropriate. The police? Not only are they far away when the break-in occurs, they could one day actually be the threat. Even though there are no comprehensive examples of police oppression in American history (at least as far as White Americans are concerned), American mistrust of the authorities' borders on paranoia. Everybody should be prepared to defend himself and his loved ones in the event of an emergency, include against the authorities if need be.
Even though itĖs terribly unscientific and completely permeated with prejudice, all that sure sounds like itĖs on the mark, doesnĖt it?
In conclusion, we can see that weĖre all schizophrenic. And now IĖll lock locks number three and four, since dusk is here and itĖs getting dark. But once IĖve convinced my wife to let me pick up a new 9mm Walther P99 semi-automatic, then I wonĖt bother with locks. Anybody who breaks in then, can only blame himself for what happens - even if heĖs with the Immigration and Naturalization Service!
