What blows my mind is not the discussion about the guns as such (I'm interested in the technical side of warfare too, though I'd never serve in the military), but more that you guys (at least the ones participating here) thinking it to be completely natural to always carry a gun. To the point of settling traffic disagreements with it.
I've always associated people carrying guns with third-world countries (AK-47s over the shoulder) - and since I've been on here, with Texas too (concealed pistols).
I can say I prefer not having guns and not having the slightest feel of needing one over having guns and the (felt or real) need for them.
Well, at least in turn we can always laugh when we see helicopter footage from a "spectacular" car chase from some US freeway with speeds as "high" as 100 mph... with all cars involved having 300 HP or more. On a stretch of road with no corners for the next 20 miles.
Actually, 99.9999999999999%+ percent of hostile traffic disputes in Texas are resolved with
lawyers which are much more dangerous than firearms as well as being far more widely available (lawyers are free, guns cost money.) Physical altercations are pretty rare because the chances are pretty good that if you try to pull the other guy out of his car for no reason, he's just going to pull out a pistol and ventilate you repeatedly. So, most traffic accidents are either settled equitably between the parties or they're solved in court with lawyers.
It's in California and other states that forbid or severely restrict the carry of handguns here that road incidents turn into illegal firearms usage. It's exceedingly rare for that to happen here - it happens a lot in CA, because chances are good that the other party (unless an obvious gang member) does
not have a gun. I keep up with the Los Angeles news via the internet, and it's amazing; at least once a week out there they have a road rage incident that involves a firearm. We're unfortunate in Texas if we have one in six months. Having been witness to several accidents as well as being involved in a few, both in California and here, it strikes me that Texas car accidents are singularly civil and polite events. I've seen people here angry at each other for being stupid while driving, but it never came anywhere near the point of physical violence; on the other hand, in CA, I saw two drivers start beating upon each other. With tire irons.
This thread isn't about gun control, any more than the drug threads are about drug control - we have other threads for that. This thread is really for discussion of legally held firearms (much like there's an electronics discussion thread, a drug discussion thread, a photography discussion thread, etc.) and I apologize for going off on this tangent; however, before I head back on topic, I would commend the book
More Guns, Less Crime by University Of Chicago and Yale University economist John Lott. He actually started off as a pro-gun-control researcher who sought to scientifically prove that easier access to guns in the US correlates to higher crime rates. Turns out it doesn't, and he was forced to change his viewpoint on the matter. It is a viewpoint shared by most Texans, so it might be worth reading for those that are curious on the matter.
Also, it's not too different an attitude from what your neighbors, the Swiss, have. Hell, they walk around with fully-automatic-capable assault rifles in public during their regular shooting festivals, which is generally forbidden in the US. If memory serves, the Swiss can also buy full-house field artillery, not so?
Guns are rare in canada?
I would have thought the wilderness would necessitate lots of guns.
I'm not clear on the Canadian gun laws, but I think they're only allowed 'hunting rifles' and 'sporting shotguns'. Anything that looks like a combat arm (big, black, 'evil looking') is verboten.
On the other hand, they do get Chinese firearms still... wait, that's not necessarily a compensation...
You might want to look at one of the railed versions of your desired pistols - the M9 has been updated to the M9A1 and now incorporates a rail.