I present the following as a historical consideration, simply as a matter of historical record, and nothing more. My position about the stupidity of gun control should become obvious, so I will try to keep my personal thoughts out of this and just state the facts.
The hard cold truth is that if it wasn't for the American love affair with firearms, most of Europe would be enjoying life today as members of the 3rd Reich and the world would be a much different and far more terrifying place for most of Europe and northern Africa (at the very least). By the time America entered the war in 1941 Germany had already invaded Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, southern Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemberg, France, Yugoslavia, Greece, Soviet Union, and had occupied several of those countries as well as the British owned Channel Islands off the coast of France.
Up until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Britain was receiving aid from the few allies it had left capable of assisting them. Pilots from America and Canada unofficially joined the British in the fight allowing their citizens to go over and help out. Because people foolishly ignore the finer points of history, it's a little known fact that at this particular moment in history Britain did not have enough weapons to fight the Germans and defend themselves at the same time. What IS known is that at the time, Britain had no firepower. They had foolishly embraced gun control in the 20's. That move resulted in a shortage of weapons with which to fight the Germans. That's why they abandoned the Channel Isles...
However, when Churchill asked for America to come to it's aid prior to Pearl Harbor, private American citizens in sent tens of thousands of personal firearms to Britain along with hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Because of the shiploads of arms and ammunition donated by the citizens of America, not the government, of America; Britain was finally able to arm British defense forces at home and send the military weapons the Home Guard was using where they would do some good in the war effort. Churchill never forgave America for waiting so long to join the war, but he later wrote:
"When the ships from America approached our shores with their priceless arms special trains were waiting in all the ports to receive their cargoes," Churchill recalled. "The Home Guard in every county, in every town, in every village, sat up all through the night to receive them.... By the end of July we were an armed nation.... a lot of our men and some women had weapons in their hands." - From Churchill’s book “Their Finest Hour”
The hard cold truth is that if it wasn't for the American love affair with firearms, most of Europe would be enjoying life today as members of the 3rd Reich and the world would be a much different and far more terrifying place for most of Europe and northern Africa (at the very least). By the time America entered the war in 1941 Germany had already invaded Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, southern Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemberg, France, Yugoslavia, Greece, Soviet Union, and had occupied several of those countries as well as the British owned Channel Islands off the coast of France.
Up until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Britain was receiving aid from the few allies it had left capable of assisting them. Pilots from America and Canada unofficially joined the British in the fight allowing their citizens to go over and help out. Because people foolishly ignore the finer points of history, it's a little known fact that at this particular moment in history Britain did not have enough weapons to fight the Germans and defend themselves at the same time. What IS known is that at the time, Britain had no firepower. They had foolishly embraced gun control in the 20's. That move resulted in a shortage of weapons with which to fight the Germans. That's why they abandoned the Channel Isles...
However, when Churchill asked for America to come to it's aid prior to Pearl Harbor, private American citizens in sent tens of thousands of personal firearms to Britain along with hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Because of the shiploads of arms and ammunition donated by the citizens of America, not the government, of America; Britain was finally able to arm British defense forces at home and send the military weapons the Home Guard was using where they would do some good in the war effort. Churchill never forgave America for waiting so long to join the war, but he later wrote:
"When the ships from America approached our shores with their priceless arms special trains were waiting in all the ports to receive their cargoes," Churchill recalled. "The Home Guard in every county, in every town, in every village, sat up all through the night to receive them.... By the end of July we were an armed nation.... a lot of our men and some women had weapons in their hands." - From Churchill’s book “Their Finest Hour”