I think there is a much higher percentage of people that are irresponsible with guns than there are people who experience gun accidents, just like most people who text while driving don't don't have collisions or most people who don't secure their cleaning chemicals also don't have poisoned kids.
I accept that the part of gun culture you interact with, read about, etc. has deep appreciation for that destructive power. I wish that appreciation extended further into issues like careful licensing and screening for not just mental health, but the knowledge and willingness to maintain proper care, but that's difficult in a partisan discussion. However, you are not the only type of gun owner, and you don't represent nor experience the entirety of the gun culture. As you said, there are a huge number of gun owners; we shouldn't pretend this represents some monolithic group with a common gun culture.
I think that's true for many control advocates, but there are also many who served in the military, are hunters, etc. There is no more a single gun control culture than there is a single gun culture.
First, that's not necessary, as many societies do just fine with far fewer guns.
However, I agree they are entrenched in US culture, and that will not change in my lifetime. Not once in this entire thread have I said we should or could try to remove guns from our society. We just disagree on what the best way entails.
