Opinion Post: Gun Control
With the recent tragedies in Colorado, Oregon, and Connecticut, gun control has been a popular and controversial topic recently. After viewing different people’s opinions, I decided to write my own down as well. Those who know me well know that I would not classify myself as a democrat or a republican. I have strong views that support democratic beliefs, and I have strong views that represent republican beliefs. I strongly believe in a non-partisan view when it comes down to the issues. I think it is silly to disagree with legalizing drugs because you are a republican, or disagree with gun rights because you are a democrat. I guess you would call me an independent or libertarian.
My opinion on gun control is plain and simple. I am opposed to it. And very strongly. My basic belief is that I do not believe in taking rights away from citizens. Bad things happen when that occurs. And history has proved that over and over.
George Santayana said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So, let’s take a look at our past (our history).
“Having been oppressed by a professional army, the founding fathers of the United States had no use for establishing one of their own. Instead, they decided that an armed citizenry makes the best army of all. General George Washington created regulation for the aforementioned “well-regulated militia,” which would consist of every able-bodied man in the country.” [4]
Look back in history at the Revolutionary War when American fought against British tyranny. “Before ratifying the Constitution, the people demanded a Bill of Rights to prevent our government from depriving them of their liberties as the British had done.” [5] Lots of lives have been lost to give us this right. And, we would not have the rights we have today without citizens owning their own guns. Plain and simple.
Let’s look at some countries that have taken gun rights away:
Something to think about before we take our means of defending ourselves away…
Here’s a great article with John R. Lott, Jr., the author of “More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws.” http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html It presents the data of violence and gun control laws.
Still don’t buy it? Let’s look at a modern-day example: Switzerland (known for peace in their country). “Switzerland does not have a standing army, instead opting for people’s militia for it’s national defense…The personal weapons of the militia are kept at home as part of military obligations; Switzerland thus has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world. [1]” “In some 2001 statistics, it is noted that there are about 420,000 assault rifles (fully automatic, or “selective fire”) stored at private homes, mostly SIG SG 550 models. Additionally, there are some 320,000 semi-auto rifles and military pistols exempted from military service in private possession, all selective-fire weapons having been converted to semi-automatic operation only. In addition, there are several hundred thousand other semi-automatic small arms classified as carbines. The total number of firearms in private homes is estimated minimally at 1.2 million to 3 million. [1]” The article is pretty informative. Here is also an article about the crime rate in Switzerland. As you can see, it’s very low [3]. The US’s crime rate is 4.2, as opposed to Switzerland which is 0.7 [2]. Essentially, every resident in Switzerland has a gun (or has had a gun) and has been extensively trained on how to use it. Globally, their crime rate is very low, and especially low compared to the US crime rate.
I believe that “a responsible, well-armed and trained citizenry is the best protection against domestic crime and the threat of foreign invasion. America’s founders knew that. It is still true today.” [5]As I quoted before, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We have to remember our past and learn from it. Terrible tragedies occur when guns are taken away from citizens. The events in Colorado, Oregon and Connecticut are also in our history now too. We must learn from them. We must do something about the recent tragedies involving gun violence. And, we must do it soon. But taking away guns from law-abiding citizens is not the answer to that problem.
Sources:
1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Switzerland
2- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Switzerland
4- http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncontrol/p/2nd_amendment.htm
5- http://www.lp.org/issues/gun-laws
6- http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html
7- http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/deathgc.htm
