When the 2nd Amendment was passed the USA was a frontier society which had only recently secured its independence following a war, and the reason for it is entirely understandable. It is more difficult to understand how allowing people to bear arms for the purposes of forming a militia when one was needed extends to letting them do so for their own private purposes.

However times have changed. The US is no longer the country it was in 1791. Most European countries once allowed the carrying of weapons but have since brought in restrictions which most of their citizens agree are necessary and reasonable. We find Americans' reluctance to do so baffling. I can understand the wish to protect yourself, but here in the UK most of us don't feel we need a gun because we can be fairly confident that a robber or burglar won't be carrying one; they usually don't because they don't expect the victim or police to be armed, while the punishment if they are caught will be considerably more severe.

I am surprised by meself's statement that "there are communities in which hunting is an essential food-harvesting activity". Can this really be true in a modern developed country (or many developing ones for that matter)? I have travelled fairly extensively overland around large parts of the US and it seemed to be fairly well supplied with grocery stores. I can see that hunting is both cheaper and more fun than shopping, but essential?