And admit that I still own a car because I enjoy the time that it saves me and the freedom that it provides to me. And I simply don't like catching public transport or walking in the rain.
In the US, owning a car is pretty necessary. Public transport is crap, and rentals aren't a good option if you're
even just making a few trips a year - the cost runs up significantly. I wouldn't blame any individual for owning a
car. But, as with guns, there is a culture which prevents us from facing the overall costs to society of a system
largely based upon the private automobile.
It's not all that different from the same political facts surrounding guns - except that it is more widespread.
Gun culture feels more under siege, and thus defensive, so they reach harder.