To most Brits the question is why would anyone want to have weapons primarily designed to kill people not only in their house, but in the houses and hands of almost everyone else. To us, that's what seems insane.
Well, it's important to note that by judicial fiat in the '50s and statute in the '60 effective self-defense was outlawed. So I can well imagine "most Brits", who've lived all their adult lives in a regime were guns are useless except for recreation (and that rather limited due to urbanization and theoretically strict limits on handgun possession (the Dunblane shooter should never have been licensed, and the attempt to seal the records is telling)) would see our approach to all this "insane".
Compare to the nationwide sweep of "shall issue" concealed carry laws, a few states where it was allowed (and Vermont where it was never licensed yet alone outlawed), then Florida in 1987 to Iowa and Wisconsin in 2011. Now 42 states plus or minus have that, along with explicit rights to effective self-defense (latter effectively true in most of the anti-gun states as well), about 2/3rds of the population.
Yeah, I'll agree its somewhat weird, look at very well armed Switzerland where concealed carry is I gather rare. But there are lots of reasons, historical, sociological, etc. why we're this way (or so I think).
