What’s American public’s view towards gun control? [br] [originaltext] The Am

The American public is evenly divided over whether the country even needs gun control. According to the Pew Research Center, which for 20 years has tracked American attitudes toward gun ownership, 47% now say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 46% say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns.
   Next you may be wondering why in the heck Americans so cherish their guns.
   Gun ownership in America has a sacred legacy dating back 200 years to the days of the Wild West.
   According to romanticized national mythology, " real men" were tough guys who wielded their guns to protect their women and children from the marauding Indians.
   The reality, of course, was that the Americans used their guns to murder and rob the Native Americans and drive them from the land. But those inconvenient truths are glossed over in favor of the story of guns as the potent symbol and protector of "us," the Americans, the good-guys.
   It’s that proud self-image of male courage and self-reliance that still drives American gun culture today.
   But to today’s gun enthusiasts, Native Americans are no longer a threat. The new bad-guys are the government.
   Today when gun enthusiasts talk about "freedom" , they’re talking about one particular kind of freedom — freedom from government oppression.
   To them, unrestricted access to guns is what protects individuals from the tyranny of government. And the only way to ensure freedom is to ensure that individuals can confront the government through their weapons.
   As National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre says in his book Guns, Crimes and Freedom: The people have the right, must have the right, to take whatever measures necessary, including force, to abolish oppressive government.