[ZGoten]

Maybe the different viewpoints are rooted in history. I am an idiot when it comes to history, but what I do know is that there have been European gouvernments long before the USA was created. They were pretty much created by force, when big conquerors longed for power and the expansion of their influence. Obviously, they needed to keep the 'petty folk' at bay and would have never dreamt of putting themselves on equal footing by granting everyone the right to be armed. The founding of the United States had a much more liberal intention and approach, however, perhaps partly because it took place fairly late in history, but that is beside the point. Both types of regulations might have simply been internalized over the decades and centuries. I can very well imagine that the right to own simple firearms was as much surprising to the American general public in the late 18th century as it is natural to the one of today.