Why Gun Violence Is Such an Intractable Problem in America

America may not be unique in the world for its culture of rugged individualism, but it most certainly is for the role that guns  play within its society.

Consider for a moment that about one-half of our congresspeople believe that asking prospective gun owners if they have a history of violent crime in which guns were used violates their rights under the Second Amendment.

People don’t just wake up one morning with asinine thoughts like these in their heads; as the cartoon here suggests, they were raised from a young age to believe that guns are as natural a part of America life as barbecues, tomato gardens, and fast cars.

Shifting this paradigm is not going to be a piece of cake.