You are absolutely right here. It's a lot to do with the 'frontier mentality' of the American west (self-reliance, self-protection, etc). Short of that, it doe

You are absolutely right here. It's a lot to do with the 'frontier mentality' of the American west (self-reliance, self-protection, etc). Short of that, it does also have a lot to do with visibility / response times: If i were able to see the sheriffs dept. cruising our backroads more frequently - I would feel much more assured of my safety, and probably be less concerned with keeping weapons for personal defense.