I live in South and, yes, it is a gun culture.
But, we are a vegetable garden culture, too.
In fact, most everyone that owns a home takes care of their yard and competes for the most beautiful yard
Most EVERYONE in the South has a gun in their home.
In fact, I can surmise that gun ownership is not regional.
It’s national.
It doesn’t matter about what demographic you are in.
In the South, most of the fire power is to kill deer when it is deer season.
Don’t judge. In the South we have a HUGE problem with a deer over population.
Everyone has a hand gun in their home
Even, back in the day, my sweet Grandmother kept a handgun in the drawer in the bed stand. Nearly every household has a gun.
We consider them “tools.” Like a hammer or a screwdriver.
When I was a teenager in “Allana” Ga in the 70’s there was a huge handgun and murder problem. Most of that was due to drugs.
Heroin addiction was rampant. Mostly because of folks returning from Vietnam during “the war.”
So, I believe it would be a good idea if our country had a gun education program that is mandatory for anyone who wants to buy a weapon.
So, coming from my gun culture, people need to learn to respect the weapon.
I do not own a weapon (wink, wink) but, I do own a drawer that has plenty of forks…. think about it.
This soft defense of gun culture is unworthy of you. Second try. Second fail.
As to the reverence for Southern Culture: “Gun Violence Is Like What Segregation Was. An Unaddressed Moral Stain.” NYT 5/27/22