Yes, your last line, Americans seem to be the most scared people in the developed world, other than, now, maybe, Ukrainians. A defense budget that dwarfs every other country, and more guns than people, what are we so afraid of? "U.S. military expenditures are roughly the size of the next seven largest military budgets around the world, combined." https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/us-military-spending-vs-world/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20outpaces%20all%20other,budgets%20around%20the%20world%2C%20combined. And the politicians seem intent on ginning up the fear in order to attract voters. We've come a long way from, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" - FDR