The U.S. has a lot of negative rights (free speech, free exercise of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to bear arms) and not a lot of positive right

The U.S. has a lot of negative rights (free speech, free exercise of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to bear arms) and not a lot of positive rights (e.g., rights to food, water, shelter, internet access--although we do have a right to counsel in criminal cases). In my view the combination of those two things is a big part of what has propelled us forward, fostering a culture of self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and innovation that has resulted in the U.S. being at the forefront of science and technology in many fields for the last 100 years or more. We're different. If we give up gun rights, or any of our other major rights, we would be taking a big step towards losing our edge and being more like any other modern western democracy. I think that is a big reason why many Americans intuitively oppose some of the positive rights that have proven popular in other countries. That includes even a positive right to privacy against other citizens, e.g., the GDPR--which in practice ends up being more of a restriction on individual freedom than a protection of it.