First, I am curious to know where you heard that. When I was an altar boy 40-some years ago, our priest would go deer hunting quite often.
You have to understand that guns are very much ingrained into the American culture and have been so since long before the US Constitution’s second amendment (e.g., The Right to Bear Arms) When European explorers first arrived in North America in the 16th an 17th centuries they depended very heavily on their firearms; but to hunt for food and for defense against unfriendly natives. When the American colonies fought it war for independence in the late 1700s, virtually all the small arms used to fight were privately owned. In the 1790s when the constitution was adopted there was this special provision included that explicitly gave the citizenry the right to keep and bear arms. This was for two reasons: The newly formed United States and no full-time standing military and still depended on the citizen-soldier for national defense, and more importantly (oddly enough) it was to protect citizens from its own government.
Remember: Americans had just come off 200 years of tyrannical rule under the British Crown. By allowing citizens to arm themselves, it kept in the government in check from also becoming tyrannical; the idea being that the citizens could rise up against the government if necessary.
As the westward expansion began in the mid-1800s, the settlers also depended on their guns for survival. They would hunt for food, defend themselves against hostile Indians and since there was no law-enforcement in those days, guns were needed for personal defense as well. Guns are part of what defines America and Americans.
The recent school shooting in Connecticut has again brought the gun discussion to the forefront. But the fact is, only about 200 people have died in mass shootings since the Columbine incident. Now I don’t mean detract from the sufferings of people connected to those incidents, but deaths by mass shootings are statistically rare when compared against other unnatural deaths that occurred in the same time period. Where is the outrage against automobile deaths? Where is the outrage against airplane crashes? Obese people die from heart attacks every day, but no one is demanding that all the McDonalds be shut down.
The reason is that mass shootings get the headlines just like plane crashes. You hear about plane crashes all the time but you never hear about the 1000s of planes that take off and land safely every day. So if you relied on the 6:00pm news for your information about airline travel, you might (incorrectly) conclude that airplanes are dangerous and should be banned. So likewise, guns get a bad rap every time someone uses one illegally.
It is not a gun problem; it is a people problem. Banning guns will not solve the problem of people killing other people. It is a sad but true fact that people have been killing each other since Cain killed Abel. People killed with rocks, clubs, spears, swords, arrows etc. long before guns were ever invented. Someday guns may become obsolete and people will kill with laser pistols or light sabers.
The old saw bears repeating: When guns are outlawed, only the outlaws will have guns. Bad guys are going to get guns one way or the other and taking guns away from law abiding citizens will just mean they will no longer be able to defend themselves. This will mean more gun deaths; not fewer.
In 1982, the city of Kennesaw, Georgia enacted a law that said the head of every household was required to own a gun and ammunition for it. Despite fears of wanton violence and gun battles in the streets, the crime rate dropped by 89% and has been consistently lower than the national average ever since. By contrast, the city of Morton Grove, Illinois enacted a law banning guns that same year, and its crime increased by 16%.
I would strongly encourage you to read this opinion piece. It is chock-full of unbiased common sense:
kontradictions.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/why-not-renew-the-assault-weapons-ban-well-ill-tell-you/
I had to edit it in my quote here to get within the forum character limit.