On closing
The number of close votes is the same on all Stack Exchange sites, some of which have much more diverse audiences than Travel. (For example, I understand all of the questions on Travel, whereas many of the questions on Computer Science are Greek to me, and I'm a moderator there.) Why would you want to increase it here?
(Your question was about Europe and Asia, by the way; since you're from the US, then by your own argument you would be a poor judge of whether it's a good question.)
Addressing your second point first, the users who vote to close are by and large the ones who care. It's not surprising that people who care about the quality of one site also care about the quality of another site. People do by and large hold off voting to close a question if they don't understand it, only if they do understand it and can determine that it is unsuitable to the site.
Regarding your question in particular, the close votes were justified because your question didn't mention where you wanted to travel. Gun legislation is very dependent on the country; “Europe and Asia” doesn't cut it.
On why this specific question was poorly received
Unlike close votes, downvotes don't have to be justified. Nevertheless I'll venture an explanation for the downvotes; since I am not in the downvoters' mind, this is pure conjecture on my part.
The keen travelers who frequent this site by and large travel to experience other cultures. Even if that isn't their primary motivation, it is an least a point of interest. Your question demonstrates a clash of cultures, and you make no attempt at understanding the culture of the places you'll be traveling to. This grates with most travelers.
Specifically, the culture clash is about guns for self-defense. From your question, I gather that you live in a part of the US where it is considered normal for people to own guns and carry them. In most of Europe, the attitude to guns is different: only soldiers, policemen and criminals have guns. If you travel with a gun, then we (speaking for a majority of Western Europeans here) perceive you as a dangerous, aggressive person, and for our safety, we are glad that our laws forbid you from carrying your gun into our country. In the UK, even your ordinary policeman doesn't carry a gun. We like to keep our streets safe from the like of you.
In your question, you take the default attitude that the places you'll be traveling to will accept that you carry a gun. It's the opposite: most places in Europe and Asia will not let you in with a gun. This difference in attitude across the Atlantic is very well-known, so it looks like you have not done the most basic research before asking your question. As the downvote tooltip says: “this question does not show any research effort”.
Regarding this meta question
I have spent some time writing a detailed, considerate answer. This is despite the insulting tone of your question (“stinky”, really?). I am not going to spend any further time on your case. Your question could easily be edited to fit the site, and I've explained to you what you should do. The ball is in your court.
