Despite the USA having double the gun ownership that Switzerland does, the USA has more than 20 times the number of mass shootings. There's definitely more to this issue:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_Switzerland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States

The Swiss also have compulsory military service (at least for men) where they theoretically teach you how to use and presumably not be a dummy with your gun.

You also need a permit to buy a gun. Shall-issue for most of the guns I'd categorize as more reasonable, but still need to put in for the permit. Automatics have quite stringent requirements on their may-issue permits. High-cap magazines are not available. Universal registration & background check and "red flag"-style blocks on any purchases.

Ammo is also included in these rules, essentially.

Second-hand sales require a paper trail conforming to many of these rules with a decade-long statute of limitations to prove legitimate transfer that is also reported to the state authority.

Storage methods are regulated. Failure to report a lost/stolen weapon to police is bad news for you.

You need a permit to carry which is mostly only given to people who have occupational need to carry -- like the old NYC law where you have to state a plausible need. Otherwise, when and where you can carry is limited to basically sport or similar events.

And there's more. Not to mention their culture of training and safety around it because of their military and militia requirements.

I'm all for imposing Swiss-style gun rules on the US. It would restrict guns a lot. The people who appeal to how great they are with guns and how it is "proof" that gun restrictions aren't a good solution just haven't even done basic research about what the gun situation actually is in Switzerland.

Fetishize is probably the word you want. Guns aren’t a tool here, they’re a symbol

Glorify?

I think the word is "fetishize"

I think a large part of it is the politicization of firearms that has made gun ownership a lifestyle choice for unstable people.

You've got a bunch of crazy conspiracy theorists being told that the liberals are out to kill their god and take their weapons, so they stock up on weapons that they use when they finally crack.

We've manufactured a system where the mentally unstable are actively encouraged to arm themselves.

Deify. They deify guns.

I use the word 'clutch' often, as a baby with a blanket or an old nerd with vi. They're unwilling to find a better solution than a gun, and the gun lobby tells us it's all okay as long as we have our Glock.

...come to think of it, so much rap music seemed to do the same, for awhile.

I agree with you. There is no need for a comment war.

Flaunt? It really is w divide. We have normal people, some of whom are responsible gun owners but most of whom don't have guns, and then we have that crowd

It's multiple issues:

• Lack of access to mental health services.
• 24/7 commercial news geared more towards fear than information with no fair and balanced doctrine for reporting.
• A widening wealth gap depriving those at the bottom of the income ladder the dignity of a stable life.
• Private ownership of said media suppressing unfavourable stories.
• Civil forfeiture and warrior cop training creating a mafia attitude in US Police departments.
• A lack of realisation that the historical context for gun ownership in the US was to keep the natives off the land cliamed by a settler because the British didn't want to repeat Spain's mistakes.
• More willing to accept licensing and denial of access to a car as punishment for breaking driving laws despite that the car is more fundamental to existing in modern US than the Gun.
• Treating the constitution like a holy manuscript rather than it's original purpose of being updated/replaced every 5 to 10 years.
• A broken electoral system in dire need of reform.
• Underfunding education.
• Lobbying so rampant they might as well host the bidding for Washington representatives on eBay.

The list is very very long. The USA's cultural fabric that is the people's common heritage is being stretched and torn by those who believe they can make a profit from the scraps.

The USA is a young anglophile country, you've only had one civil war, I reckon you've got at least another one coming.

Agreed. The root cause is multifaceted. People seem to ignore the fact that the shooters are almost 100 percent male, with the vast majority being disaffected loners, white, and young. What has caused these men and boys to fantasize about killing masses of people? It's far more complicated than folks like to admit. We want a simple scapegoat, so we blame guns.

Using your timeline of mass shooting increases, an immediate reason to consider should be the assault weapon law expiring in 2004. Data would back that up. We haven't had the same laws forever. https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/06/15/did-the-assault-weapons-ban-of-1994-bring-down-mass-shootings-heres-what-the-data-tells-us/

I’m a liberal and I definitely think we need tighter restrictions on guns in the U.S., but people today seem to have forgotten that we’ve had essentially the same gun laws for forever

Sure but the same party that works so hard against increased legislation for gun control gutted our mental health infrastructure and votes against funding and rebuilding it at every opportunity. They aren't interested in solving either end of the problem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_Health_Systems_Act_of_1980

https://sociology.org/content/vol003.004/thomas.html

This last one is a ddg search - you can just pick which article you want to read about Republicans voting against mental health funding.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=republicans+vote+against+mental+health+funding

Exactly. Access to guns isn't the issue, lack of education and failed parenting is. I'm pretty fucking liberal but even in the single generation I've been alive I'm pretty sure parenting has gotten significantly worse. I go out of my way to make sure my kids let me know if stuff is bothering them and explain how to respond to things that frustrate them. I'm sure this is going to go into parents working 24/7 but that also isn't anything new.

Can confirm. You can see more about Switzerland's gun control here:

https://youtu.be/F2Uqq9Bz-WU?si=_xPUjEFT7L0mXRmy

From Switzerland: "Depending on the type of weapon, you will require a sales contract, a weapon acquisition permit or an exemption permit."

Semi-automatic weapons require a permit, and fully automatic weapons and firearms with large capacity magazines are banned and only allowed under special, petition able circumstamces.

--

For military service issued weapons: The Swiss don't allow their citizens access to ammunition (they used to issue a single magazine IIRC), all weapons are only distributed based on compulsory military service, and are to remain locked away except for when transported to the firing range for your annual qualification or practice.

Also, I do t think they allow swiss to keep their rifles anymore; I believe they are currently stored in the armory.