Is gun obsession a disease? Seriously. Is it a disease in the classification with other behavioral ailments such as alcoholism or gambling or hording? Let's be clear, I'm not referring to basic gun ownership or even the collecting of antique weapons, which I can understand from a certain intellectual standpoint. I'm talking about NRA level gun obsession. Let's explore this below the orange squiggle of happiness.
If you're willing to keep an open mind to this argument, and that's all I'm doing is exploring this as an informal supposition, I'm not ready to make a case before the AMA, I think that you'll see that there are some disturbing parallels. And by all means, this is just an exercise not to be taken too seriously, so I will truly appreciate varying opinions on this. Just keep it civil.
Obsessive compulsiveness regarding the need to carry is a start. Having to have one's weapon with them at all times. Which leads to the next characteristic, paranoia. Thinking that everyone is either out to get you or is against you, or is at least out to get your weapon. Substitute someone trying to stop you from drinking or getting access to a gaming table for weapon, and you may see a parallel.
Denial is a very common characteristic of addicts/compulsives. The denial that there is a problem. "It's not the guns that are killing those school children, it's the maniacs carrying them." And besides, there's the Second Amendment!
The inability to be self-aware. Not being capable of seeing that there is even a problem to begin with. Typically, it is someone else's fault when problems in their lives arise. Not having a perspective on one's experiences in relationship to others is common. Your issues are unique. Others who are calling you out simply don't understand your situation. Also in this case, it's the inability to see that being armed to the teeth may not quite be totally normal in a modern civilization. There are bad guys out there who need to be stopped and you many never know when you'll be called to stop them.
This in turn, leads to rationalization, the leaps of logic to justify unlimited gun ownership and easy access to them, as exemplified by the above reasons. Oh, and did I mention the Second Amendment!
I know this may be just a bunch of superficial stuff and much of it may be horribly misguided but I'm putting it out there to begin a (hopefully civil) conversation. There may be more parallels and deeper connections, or none at all. I'm by no means a psychological expert, but I would be interested in hearing from some who have vastly greater knowledge or experience in these kinds of things.