Why The Fight Against Guns Is Ultimately Useless
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Politics and Activism

Why The Fight Against Guns Is Ultimately Useless

Let's take a realistic look at the assault on guns.

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Why The Fight Against Guns Is Ultimately Useless
Brad Warthen

In our culture today, there is a sharp divide between those who embrace guns and those who do not. For many of those who promote our Second Amendment rights, the right to own a weapon is the greatest freedom. For those who are against guns, they often claim that taking weapons away from the population would reduce violence. However, take a minute to go out and do your research on how countries who have followed this step have fared. In Germany, as the population gave away their weapons, it allowed the brainwashing of the people. Those citizens who possibly could have led a revolt could not do so without weapons. A more recent example would be perhaps Britain and other countries who have strict gun laws. One would think this would reduce the gun violence and it certainly has. However, what no one wants to talk about is the rise in deadly weapon crimes using knives, bats and other deadly hand-to-hand combat weapons. The weapons are not the problem. Throughout history humans have killed one another. It was this way before guns and it will be this way with the weapons of the future. Ultimately, we must realize that the problem is within us. We cannot blame the issues of our species on inanimate objects.

The human condition is a fight for survival. However, for many in our country, the struggle to survive has gone. This has led to that inner violence being released in an alternative route. Perhaps that is what drives people to kill, hurt and maim. Perhaps it is us taunting death and feeling powerful by holding the power to choose whether another lives or dies. In the end, it does not truly matter. What matters is that we educate people and spread a culture of people who wish to help one another. Those who wish to kill or commit crimes will not be stopped by the illegality of guns. Clearly, they are not stopped by the illegality of the crimes they are already committing. For every so many good gun owners there is one crazy person, who if they had been correctly diagnosed and handled, possibly would not have erupted. This is not to say that there is not another segment of the population - those who choose to be affiliated with gangs and who use guns as an avenue to power. In their hands, the guns are simply a tool to remove rivals and establish their reputation. However, if it was not guns, it would be other weapons. How am I to expect the U.S. government to stop illegal guns from getting to criminals when their war on drugs is failing miserably. If a population has a want, especially in a capitalistic system, someone will find a way to market it. By taking away guns you would not stop those who know how to obtain black market weapons. You would simply be disarming a population that, by itself, stands as a national defense force. There is a reason the U.S., in our recent history, has never been invaded. Even if an enemy manages to somehow invade our mainland, they will truly wish they had not. From every corner of this country, there are citizens who would be able to defend themselves in addition to our military. From this aspect, our civilian population being armed is an invader's worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, many Americans never consider any of this. Perhaps it is our arrogance that the mighty U.S. would never dare be invaded. Maybe people truly think that making guns illegal will tone down the violence. However, society was born from conflict and is renewed and refined by it. No matter what we do, people who wish to harm others will find a way to do it, whether that be by bullet, knife, bomb, bludgeon or other randomized weaponry. The simple fact is that a population full of armed citizens is a deterrent against an overbearing government and foreign invasion. The elimination of the civilian right to bear arms would likely just result in violence of a different kind. While there are some merits to the idea it is not one we should blindly embrace, especially when the leaders of the anti-gun movement cannot even properly identify what an assault weapon is.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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