Introduction
People kill other people, not guns. Regardless of this idea, gun control laws have always been a debatable issue. Today, because of the increasing wave of violence, there is a new round of debates related to this topic. However, a complete prohibition on the owning of firearms will not help to improve the situation and should not be accepted as it will violate people’s constitutional rights and contradict the cultural tradition.
Right to Protect Themselves
Every person has a right to protect himself/herself. From this perspective, guns can be considered a potent tool to defend one’s dwelling and family from any violent actions or criminals who might have maleficent intentions (Waldman, p. 23). Prohibition of firearms will deprive people of the opportunity to resist aggression and destroy the barrier that restricts society.
Hunting and Target Shooting
Moreover, hunting and target shooting are rather popular hobbies that help people to relax and refresh after long working days. These activities demand the possession of firearms, which, however, does not mean that people will use them to kill other individuals (DeGrazia and Hunt, p. 45). The introduction of restrictive laws will decrease the quality of this group’s life significantly.
Historical Context
Finally, this country was conceived with the idea of gun possession as every individual had to protect his/her freedom and fight for basic rights. From this perspective, firearms are an integral part of the historical background that shaped people’s mentalities and their values (Cook and Goss, p. 56). Unwise limiting laws might destroy this basis and precondition drastic changes in people’s worldview.
Conclusion
Altogether, the availability of guns is not the reason for the rise of violence and aggression. People use it for protecting themselves, relaxation, and as a tribute to the memory of this land’s development. Guns are a part of the national identity, and there should be other more effective ways to solve the problem.
Works Cited
- Cook, Phillip, and Kristin Goss. The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2014.
- DeGrazia, David, and Lester Hunt. Debating Gun Control: How Much Regulation Do We Need? Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Waldman, Michael. The Second Amendment: A Biography. Simon & Schuster, 2015.