Gun Control
Gun control is an area where there is much misinformation courtesy of the liberal media. Here is my appeal to logic regarding some of the main issues of gun control and answers that I've found to some of the frequent questions that come up during this discussion.
1. Why does a citizen need a gun other than for hunting?
It’s not a question of need. The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental freedom guaranteed by the US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment. Our government has no more right to limit this, than it does to pick and choose who has the right to free speech. Furthermore, this right was not intended just to allow people to hunt. That was a given at the time the Constitution was written. It was to provide free people a last defense against tyranny and a means to protect their families.
2. Isn’t that just paranoia? Our government will never try to take away our freedoms.
It’s a false security to think that our individual freedoms will last forever. Our country is just over 200 years old. Relative to history, that’s a short time. Yet we already see many freedoms slipping away at the hands of would-be tyrants. While I would never advocate a revolution while the current system of government stands, the day may very well come when, like the founding fathers, we would find ourselves with no other choice. Don’t think that could happen? Look at Germany before World War II.
3. Why should I have weapons to defend myself, family, and property? Isn’t that the job of the Police?
True, as a whole the police do a great job of protecting and serving, but it comes down to a matter of resources. In even the most well staffed areas, there are rarely enough police to go around. Think about this scenario. If someone forces their way into your house with the purpose of killing you and mistreating your family, first off you hope that you get a chance to call the police. If you are able to, even if they can get there within 5 minutes, a lot can happen in that time. In many areas it may take up to 20 minutes for the police to respond. What can happen in that amount of time? The police can’t always be there, so it falls to the head of the household to protect his/her family and property.
4. Aren’t we placing the value of things over the value of human life if we risk taking the life of a person (the criminal) to protect property?
It’s not a matter of placing an individual item over the value of human life. It’s about freedom. In order to have a chance at freedom from criminals stealing our hard earned money and invading the privacy of our homes, they must know that they do so at the cost of their own life. In many cases a criminal has already placed the value of our lives below that of the items he is trying to steal. We don’t know at the time that a person is breaking in if they are armed. It would be foolish for me to gamble with the lives of my loved ones on whether or not a criminal has the ability or desire to kill.
5. I don’t feel comfortable with guns around my home or in my neighbor’s home.
Granted, if you don’t feel the necessity of owning a gun, then that is your choice. Not everyone wants the responsibility of having a firearm. However even if you don’t want a gun, you cannot limit the right of other law abiding citizens to have one. Also, whether or not you realize it, you benefit from your neighbors having guns. Criminals usually don’t know which households have firearms. That causes them to be much less bold then they would be otherwise.
6. What about the children?
Many people and organizations seek to ban guns telling us it’s for the safety of children. I find their motivations somewhat in question, especially the children’s organizations that are associated with the United Nations. (The UN wants power above everything else.) Motivations aside, what we are getting is misinformation. If banning guns was the answer to saving children from death or injury, (a relatively small amount compared the number of deaths caused by other things, i.e. automobiles) then why not ban other things? Let’s ban cars because of all the kids injured by them. Ban swimming pools because of all the kinds who drown. Quit using electronics because kids can get electrocuted. That’s not the way we handle these things. The best way to keep kids from being injured by firearms is to teach them responsible use of guns. Think about how many kids have never seen a gun used responsibly. All they get is what they see on TV or in video games. Teach children that a gun is never a toy. Show them under supervision the power that a gun has and that it is to always be respected. Teach them what to do if they find a gun. Does this work? Yes. I had ample opportunities to misuse guns when I was a kid, but I didn’t, because from the time I was little my parents taught me firearm safety.
7. Isn’t gun control the best way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals?
In a word… No. Gun laws only affect people already concerned with obeying laws. Criminals, by nature of their trade, have no desire to obey laws, so what’s one more law broken to them? It only makes it harder for those that wish to use guns constructively. The answer to crime has, and always will be, swift justice. Put to death murders and violent sex offenders. Punish the crimes being committed in such a way that a criminal knows that when he’s caught he will deeply regret his offence. This will work in two ways. First, those committing the crimes will witness justice first hand. There will be no repeat murders or violent sex crimes. Those who have committed lesser crimes will know that it’s not worth it. Second, any one who aspires to be a criminal would see others being brought to justice and many would pursue other careers.
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