Gun myths hamper U.S. capacity to respond to gun violence: NYT

NEW YORK, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Guns have long been an integral part of the mythology of the United States, hampering the capacity of Americans to respond to gun violence, according to The New York Times.

Gun myths have been woven deep into the most sacred lore about the winning of independence, about manifest destiny and territorial expansion, about the defense of democracy and the spread of the U.S. empire across the globe, which have become an inevitable-seeming element of American culture, said Francisco Cantu in an opinion piece.

The proponents of guns hold the "exceptionalist notion that a man with a gun is a force powerful enough to defend against any danger," the author explained.

The article said that such a national mythology has hampered a capacity to diminish the presence of firearms in American society, noting that the mass shootings have even led to the increasing militarization of Americans' day-to-day lives.