After the Lafayette theater shooting on Thursday night I tweeted, "More guns in the right hands equals less senseless death by the wrong hands." Other young adults like myself seemed to agree with my statement and it got me thinking. We always see articles and research on gun control done by professionals and experts, and this adult and that adult, but what about others my age? That's why I wanted to get this out. Growing up in a world where violence is the new normal is something everyone my age can relate to. So these are my thoughts and why I believe restricting access to guns won't fix our nation's problems.
Firstly, background checks serve no point. They're more of a starting point for the media to start their anti-gun rhetoric. They love to say that stricter background checks will solve every problem, but they don't and won't. For example, the Lafayette shooter, John Russell Houser bought a gun legally after passing a background check. According to BearingArms.com "The mass murderers at Virginia Tech, the Aurora Colorado movie theater, Fort Hood, Isla Vista, the Washington Navy Yard, the attempted mass killing at Arapahoe High School and indeed, the majority of other mass killers since 1993, purchased their firearms legally after passing background checks." Gun control advocates who boast that tougher background checks will stop mass shootings are only lying to themselves...and everyone else.
Secondly, you can't force morality into individuals. Just because you make an item harder to obtain or even make it illegal, those who want it will still find a way to get it. Drugs are illegal, and we all know how common and how easy the access is to get them.The same is true with guns.When a person wants something bad enough they will do what they have to do to get it. Denying a right for all because a small percentage can't control themselves isn't the way to solve this problem. It's like when you were in elementary school and the teacher punished the whole class because a few kids were acting up. The punishment didn't hurt the kids who were misbehaving, it hurt the kids who weren't. Like Bruce Willis once said, "Everyone has a right to bear arms. If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys."
Now on to "Gun Free Zones." GFZs are a joke. They're a free-for-all with no obstacles and no hassle. Mad men are able to walk in and take the place over. No one can physically stop them. They have all the power and they know it, that's why they're there. Why do you think schools, theaters, and malls are so common for mass shootings? They're all gun-free zones. It's like putting a sign up in your yard saying, "Door's unlocked come steal my stuff!"
Lastly, mass shootings are not the only thing guns are used for. More protection equals less crime in all aspects. People are far less likely to rob a convenience store when the guy behind the counter pulls out his gun. I'd rather someone attempt to commit a crime than actually commit one any day. I think most people would agree.
Like most people, I wish I lived in a world where no one wished or inflicted harm to another. I wish I could walk down the street knowing no one around me had a secret motive or wanted to bring pain to others, but that's not our life. We live in a scary world. I feel better knowing that others around me have guns and can stop potentially devastating events, and with that, I'll wrap this up with a quote from Clint Eastwood. "I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it."
Simply put, I don't believe in gun control, but I do believe in the power of evil. Evil looks for the vulnerable. Don't be vulnerable.
