I don&#x27;t understand the down votes you are receiving... your comment is one I have heard from relatives and friends from Europe.<p>As noted in the other response, the historical reason is that private gun-ownership (usually in relation to a local militia of some sort) is the only protection against a tyrannical government.  In the era of the Revolutionary War, that was certainly true.<p>I don&#x27;t happen to believe that is true any more, and that the 2nd amendment is an anachronism. But, I&#x27;m in a minority (where the majority in the US seems to prefer limited gun ownership - more so than what we have now, but not complete bans and confiscations, as Australia saw recently).