[FireBeyond]

This is exactly the framing. "What worked there can't work here", whether it's firearm control, socialized medicine or education, whatever.

We're either bigger, or denser, or less dense, or ... essentially whatever suits the argument.

[int_19h]

The other weird thing in US discourse about other countries is that when it does enter the conversation, the "rest of the world", or at least other developed countries, are often treated as some kind of monolithic entity culturally and politically. For example, a lot of people on both left and right in US believe that the rest of the world is single payer, and generally that "single payer" is synonymous to "public healthcare". Similarly with gun control, there's no recognition of the fact that there are countries in Europe where you can own an AR-15 just fine, and countries (different ones!) where silencers are over the counter items not requiring any special registration.

[neither_color]

Most Americans would be shocked to know that in Thailand there are signs at the airport advising you on the correct firearms procedures

https://www.airportthai.co.th/en/aot-reiterates-the-guidelin...

edit: But I will say it works both ways. Most countries do not know what it takes to keep hundreds of millions of people of various backgrounds together under a common way of life with a certain risk vs entitlement balance. Americans as a whole are more risk tolerant AND accepting of failure and reinventing yourself. In most cultures it's a great shame to quit your job with benefits, start a business and not succeed. In the states it's not shameful. You tried? Awesome.

[nozzlegear]

Yes, that's my point. We are literally different people with different cultures, values and problems. Case in point: the firearm control you mentioned. I won't get in a gun control debate here, I have my own complicated views on the matter, but it's an undisputed fact that Americans have a right to own guns (maybe with limitations, maybe not) and many Americans deeply cherish that right. There is no gun control solution we can take from Europe that you could apply to the US, it's simply not compatible with our culture, not to mention our own Bill of Rights. It's not a bad thing to recognize that.

[_heimdall]

A lot of people are uncomfortable having an opinion without being able to rationalize it.

I have to assume many, maybe most, people that give reasons like you mention just flat out don't want the policy and reach for a reason to justify it.

I can say I don't want gun control laws. Not because it doesn't work elsewhere or couldn't work here. I just fundamentally disagree with it and don't want to live in a place where the only ones with guns are state officials.