Gun control has always been a contentious issue between Democrats and Republicans. On one hand the Democrats believe that more guns contributes to more violence in society. On the other hand Republicans and Libertarians (and other constitutionalists) deeply defend the second amendment in the bill of rights which states:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
It is no accident that the right to bear arms comes second to the right of free speech, press, assembly and so on. Many Democrats misinterpret the phrase claiming that when the Bill of Rights was drafted it was indeed necessary to have "a well regulated militia" because of the British threat as well as other foreign threats of the era. Therefore, they conclude it is no longer necessary because of the United States strong military.
There are also many myths involved regarding guns which are played up by the mainstream media. The first involving gun related deaths among children. In truth, more children die each year by accidents involving bicycles, space heaters, and drownings. Each time a gun accident does happen with a child, it usually receives a fair amount of press and helps exacerbate this myth. A figure of twelve children deaths per day is often cited to back the dangers of guns; when in fact the age group associated with the number goes all the way up to the age of twenty. Many of which are gang related deaths.
There has also been much hype about school shootings ever since the Columbine incident and several other major tragedies. I contend that if a person is fully determined to take the lives of others in a freak occurrence, they will do so no matter what. A good example is the recent shootings at Fort Hood. Clearly the perpetrators of these crimes had no regard for human life whatsoever, including their own.
An interesting fact which helps prove my argument is the lack of violent deaths in states where law abiding citizens are under the conceal and carry law. An average of the 31 states who have such laws, also have "a 24 percent lower violent crime rate, a 19 percent lower murder rate and a 39 percent lower robbery rate than states that forbid concealed weapons."
A misinterpretation of the second amendment has caused many to become in favor of gun control. Personal defense against criminals is not the intentended purpose. The founding fathers knew that an armed citizenry prevented the government from becoming too powerful and taking away citizens natural rights. It is no surprise that several governments have unarmed their populations in order to take control of them. Perhaps, one of the best known incidents of dearming a population happened in germany before Hitler began shuttling Jews, Gays, and others off to camps. If the population had been armed, they would have had the chance to fight back and even form their own groups to fight against the injustices being brought against them.
Most importantly, the constitution grants the right for law abiding citizens to be gun owners. Regulation of gun control only hurts those are legally purchasing guns and not breaking any laws using them. Regulation also creates a black market for illegal weapons, where most criminals acquire guns for violent purposes. Taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens while criminals are still able to acquire them illegally would only lead to more violence, since criminals would no longer be threatened by the chance one of their victims will shoot back.
Today, with a Democratic administration and Democratic congress, our gun rights could be under attack. Proposals to raise the price of ammunition drastically and also make certain models of guns illegal may not be too far off. Once again, Democrats have not fully reasoned through these proposals and could hurt sportsman and even make our country less safe .
