Growing up, I was influenced by men who were veterans and hunters, eventually leading me to also become both, but also philosophically, all my experience leads me to independence and self-reliance, and an overall philosophy that when in doubt, the government should leave us alone. I lived in Europe for several years, an I saw firsthand how society and mentality is changed when living in a state of entitlement.
Reading literature like Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell, and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand reinforce this understanding. Reading modern commentary by Christopher Hitchens also appeals to my sense of logic, and reinforces the understanding that men must remain in control of their own destiny, and any entity which seeks to limit that ability can control you.
Also, it is difficult to ignore the engineering and history of firearms, and one must realize that nearly all advances in metalurgy, smelting, forging, and machining are a result of the discipline of making weapons. There are distinct reasons to admire these things, and to condemn weapons because of their perceived nature is to halt manufacturing progress.
I'm probably half as deep as I think I am.