The 2nd Amendment is an American ideal that went slightly awry. It was initially conceived as a pre-emptive, populist measure against foreign invaders and to prevent a repressive society where only the militia and police had firearms. At the time, this may have made sense as the founding fathers had no clairvoyance of the technological advances that would later emerge. When the Bill of Rights was drafted, the only personal firearms were single-shot muskets and pistols.

The NRA often falls short in that they take American gun ownership rights to an extreme. In their book, there is no accounting for wackos or disgruntled foreigners owning firearms in the United States. No psychological testing and in many cases, inadequate background checks. As a result, America is a gun-toting society especially in the more conservative regions of the country.

It's rooted to a certain degree in a paranoia of sorts and part of the American consciousness.