False dichotomy.

Europe allows guns and Europeans have some of the highest gun ownership rates per capita. Men in Bavaria are _more likely to own a gun_ than men in many areas of the US, and most men over 40 here have had military or police service.

Wikipedia says, "Countries that guarantee a right to keep and bear arms include Albania, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Switzerland, the United States and Yemen." Switzerland and the Czech Republic don't have the problems the Americans do. They're some of the safest countries on the planet with miniscule homicide rates.

The Falkland Islands, Britain, has 62 guns per 100 people. That is more than one gun per adult male. There was been one gun murder there since 1980.

The 2nd Amendment results in Americans having a warped relationship with deadly weapons because they see them primarily as toys or political symbols. Americans own half of the world's civilian guns.

You actually don't need that many people owning guns to fight a professional army because armies are rather small, in comparison to the entire population. Germany has 1.4 million gun owners, in comparison to 182k active service members.

That's why the UK government nearly crapped their pants when a bunch of ethnic Brits marched downtown armed with FLAGPOLES.