While there have been many calls for regulating the production and sale of firearms, very few calls have been made to investigate the impact of firearms manufacturers' advertising. Advertising is the primary means by which guns are portrayed as necessary parts of Americans' lives. Advertising presents guns as ways to achieving peace and security. Advertising tells Americans that possessing guns makes a citizen patriotic. The fact of the matter is that all advertising campaigns are simple means by which corporations increase their sales and their profits. If we continue to make the arguments on firearms regulation only focus upon personal freedoms and safety, we aren't addressing the whole issue: we need to look at how Americans are being convinced they need to buy guns.
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