In the article of Guns and Ammunition by Wolf, Eldon G. he said that guns have done as much to change history as any other single invention. The end of feudalism was achieved by the help of guns making it possible in destroying the stone walls of ancient castles. The entire art of warfare was changed because soldiers were trained easier in firing a gun rather than using a bow. Hunters found a new advantage over dangerous and large animals. Guns also were important for European settlement in opening the frontiers of North and South America.
In order to get maintenance of the peace and order, Gun Control should strictly be followed in which the ownership and usage of guns are regulated by such laws. To restrain violent crime, firm laws on gun control were implemented in many countries. Convicted offenders in U.S. laws are forbidden from owning guns and the requirement of some local laws were proposed and implemented on gun registration. In the U.S. laws have been proposed on the banning of private ownership of handguns. The Bill of Rights guaranteed the opponents that these laws cite the right to bear arms. Specifically in the amendments that were in the Bill of Rights. The first eight amendments deal with the individual’s rights, and were designed for the protection of the people in opposition to contradictory or obnoxious government, mainly against the law proceedings. In the second amendment of the Bill of Rights declares that “…to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This was executed chiefly to give protection to the people and the right to possess arms.
In malls, departments stores or even on other establishments, guns have been used for years. In the article of Safety by Pyle, Howard he said that in order to avoid the unnecessary deaths and tragedies, safety measures should be kept in mind by the gun owner, because at the end of the day, it’s not the gun, it’s the person. Banning guns does not get rid of crazy people or criminals. We know that when we talk about deadly weapons, things that would most likely to come in our minds are pistols, rifles and shotguns. Even if a gun is not loaded you must never point it at anyone. Before storing and cleaning, emptying of a gun is necessary. A locked closet is the best place for a gun to be kept. A place of dry stored in a cool fireproof box, away from the firearms and away from the children is ammunitions should be locked.
In a different note according to Estill Green in the article “Communication”, another reason of gun acquisition and usage is for Communication. Communication, through signs or signals has not entirely taken in the modern means nowadays. This is where guns come in as a sound signal communication. Guns are used for setting up codes by the shots it makes and can convey messages even at a long distance from its origin. Gunshots are used also in alarms such as in fires or in notifications that needs immediate attention.
Supporters on gun control often presume that the satisfactoriness of these laws turns on whether they decrease of increase crime rates. It is rarely entertained that these laws might abuse the rights, even gun owners interests in keeping guns for the purpose of given great weight. I strongly consider that these approaches are injudicious. Individuals should have a prima facie right in owning firearms, that this right is substantial on the important interests, and that it should be dominated by practical deliberations.
The law abiding citizens will be prevented in owning a gun if this guns will be made prohibited. By definition, criminals are not abiding the law, and it is impervious making guns illegal by any law.
In owning guns, it also has its restrictions or qualifications. Gun ownership does have an age requirement. It is on the discretion of the seller on how is he/she will sell it, of course on the qualifications needed to own one. If he/she will not follow it, then straight to jail for him/her. Not every one of us can possible own a gun. The mentally ill or the people of have criminal records are not allowed to own any ammunition. When one owns a gun the person should bear in mind that he/she cannot is not allowed to carry it everywhere he/she goes. There are laws that forbid any individuals from carrying any type of firearms in sensitive places. This includes government buildings, schools and hospitals. There are specific restrictions on selling guns. Our laws are imposing conditions to costumers that they should be qualified for the commercial selling of firearms. There are also some specific individuals who do not have the right in carrying certain types of guns. Just like short-barrelled shotguns, other types of guns are being prohibited from being owned by the general public. Even though the court prohibits carrying dangerous and unusual weapons this does not include assault weapons or semi-automatic weapons. These qualifications are being enumerated in the article The Right to own a Gun under Heller by Heller.
Having these characteristics in owning a gun, how could one say that gun ownership does not have an age these days? Although we see in the news about teenagers carrying guns in schools this does not imply that they were allowed to do such thing. Their parents or guardians, who probably own the gun that they were carrying, should be the one responsible. There are laws which make sure that gun carrying will be controlled. It is the job of police officers to enforce these laws. If one will imagine a world where guns are being prohibited what will happen to our society if our own police officers don’t carry any firearms to themselves? How could they properly control any riots that can happen in a neighbour hood if they only have sticks to protect themselves and the civilians?
With regards on guns being used in road rage, the use of guns could not be blamed solely. The fight between stressed out commuters could have been prevented if only the traffic officers has done their work well. Government officials should also improve the traffic conditions of the country so as not to create any conflicts between the commuters, thus preventing road rage.
By saying that armed criminals who don’t have jobs are using weapons to acquire commodities that they need could not be blamed to guns as well. Those criminals, being jobless are just very desperate and are not in their normal state of mind. Instead of banning guns and blaming it all to guns the government should create a program where it could open more job opportunities not only to people who are educated enough but also to people who attained low educational level.
Millions of people around the world have one or two guns in their possession and each one of them have different reasons in owning these firearms. In buying a gun, you also have to put in mind some considerations and reasons for doing so, in this manner one can assure that the reasons behind gun ownership is credible.
In the article “Why Own a Gun?” by Russ Chastain, one of the reasons why people choose to buy a gun is because they find this cool. It may sound immature however one should bear in mind that every one has to start in one place. Another reason is because of family legacy. A child may have been growing up being accustomed to guns since their family has owned several ammunitions. Thus, one cannot blame why that person feels the need to possess a gun for himself. In most cases a person who came from this type of family has enough knowledge on guns and also is being trained on how and when to use it. We can now then bring to focus the responsibility of parents in guiding their children on the proper gun-handling and other knowledge they need to learn on carrying firearms. Hunting is another reason in owning a gun. In the United States hunting is a fine hobby since it is also common in this country. The necessity of gun in hunting is crucial if one wants to have a victorious hunting. Using of bow and arrow might not catch what you want, be grateful to guns that falls your hunt. One more reason is for target shooting why one wants to own a gun. It is a great achievement for one to being able to put a shot exactly where he/she want them to go. Competitive shooting is a sport that help a person grow not only athletically but also as a whole. Excelling in one sport could give a person the sense of achievement. By engaging in this type of sport this also gives awareness to the athlete and people alike on the importance of discipline with regards to gun ownership. In line with this, people buy guns for social purposes. They intend to use their guns in social shooting activities this includes cow boy action shooting sporting clays and the like. There are several activities that one can participate in which involves guns that can teach people how to handle guns properly in an enjoyable way.
The typical reason that a gun owner has is chiefly for his protection. Due to unpredictability of human behaviour people nowadays keep a gun by their side to ensure that they can defend themselves from crime offenders. This is also due to the urge for self preservation of human beings. Thus, a gun is a very effective tool to counter any threat to ones life and of the lives of their family members. It isn’t all the time that those who are in jurisdiction can protect the civilians from the offenders, thus one should be aware he or she is solely responsible for his or her security. If guns should be banned it also goes to show that the right of human being to defend himself from any threat is being denied. This could be considered the most severe crime that one can commit against humanity. In history during the holocaust it was observable that the German people were being disarmed by Hitler that was why they were defenceless from Hitler’s wrath. Thus the Germans were being enslaved which could have been avoided if only they had guns for protection of their rights. Therefore one could definitely say that owning a gun for defence purposes is a basic human right which is accepted universally. There are several instances that self defence using a gun is not by having to use the gun per se, it is a sheer presence that does the work, as discussed in the article “Why Own a Gun?” by Russ Chastain.
One could reflect on the United States history that the forefathers of Americans have advocated for the use and ownership of guns. They have encouraged the people of the United States to be skilled in using firearms for the protection against a totalitarian government. It is very essential that a person should remember that by owning a gun is a human right that can ensure that other human rights will not be violated. It is in the fear of retribution that the corrupt people in the politics are being kept from extensive use of force in our land, as discussed in the article “Why Own a Gun?” by Russ Chastain.
People may find a purchase of guns is sound investment since it has been well and tested that guns don’t depreciate in value. Thus it doesn’t follow that owning a gun has to be used as what it should be since many people are using it as an ornament for their house. This is to ensure that their investment will surely not decrease in value instead this makes sure that the worth will grow, as discussed in the article “Why Own a Gun?” by Russ Chastain.
In the article “What are the Gun Laws in Minnesota?” by Charles Montaldo, a gun is not a simple tool it is instead a fine work of mechanical brilliance. One should also note that these are fine machines that can perform their job pretty well. This is comparable to a fine truck wherein a combined engineering intelligence and mind power that result to a considerable beautiful material. This is something only few people could relate to. Thus, some individuals, especially women are unaware of. For this reason alone the appreciation of a person on a gun could cause them to own a gun.
According to the Wisconsin Constitution which was amended last November 1998, the people reserves the right to bear and keep arms for their security, hunting, defence, recreation or any other legal purpose. This goes to show that government official in the said state supports the common reasons of people why they should own a gun.
There are several states that has now allowed civilians to carry a concealed weapon. Among the States that approves the law of Carrying a Concealed Weapon are Ohio, Florida, Vermont, Iowa and Missouri. However, one should note that law does not permit just anybody to carry a concealed weapon. The person should first acquire a permit for him to exercise this right. This goes to show that the government safeguarding the interest and safety of the public by ensuring the person who is carrying a concealed weapon is responsible enough and has enough knowledge on gun handling as discussed by Shanin R. Brown in Concealed Weapon Laws In the States.
The law on the other hand is forbidden in some locations. These include the properties of the school, which means the, elementary, private, public, secondary buildings, grounds, and including exclusive areas of the school. Places like licensed Children Learning Centres that the children are still present. Places where owners place a “no guns allowed” sign in their area as discussed by Shanin R. Brown in Concealed Weapon Laws In the States.
In the article “What are the Gun Laws in Minnesota?” by Charles Montaldo, a person should be aware that there are several restrictions in possessing a firearm. However, these restrictions do not apply to antique firearms for their historical value. For the safety of the public rifles, shotguns and other similar types of guns are being transported in a well equipped vehicle. These guns when carried in a public area should be unloaded and the barrel and magazine should be cased in the rearmost location of the means of transport. The law prohibits the possession of these firearms in the public except during an engagement of lawful hunting.
In the article “What are the Gun Laws in Minnesota?” by Charles Montaldo, gun owners should also bear in mind of the necessary precautions needed in carrying a gun. Owners must also know the laws behind gun possession. Possessors must be trained properly in acquiring a gun, perhaps a certification is much likely needed in order to have a legal possession on it. In training, owner should have a certified instructor that knows the fundamentals of using a handgun. The instructor should have accomplished the exercises in the complete actual shooting criterion. These instructors are those persons that are in the past five years certified by an organization or government unit which has been standardized or accepted by the Department of Public Safety.
One could not directly conclude that due to the possession of a gun, a person commits a crime. It could also be wrong to assume that only guns are being used by criminals. There are a lot of deadly weapons that were recorded that have been used by criminals, some of which uses common materials that can be found in the comforts of our home. There are several crimes that were committed by the use of an initially harmless material like a rope and a pen. How many times do we hear from the daily news that a crime was committed using harmless materials? If one would base the frequency of a material being used in a crime, then will this mean that knives and other sharp objects should also be banned? If that is the case, then the selling of these materials should also be banned since these are equipment that can now be considered dangerous.
As a person who gives total value and security on oneself, we should bear in mind that being a gun owner has responsibilities to oneself and to others. Most of those abovementioned reasons depend on the personal perspective of an individual. Whatever the reason of a person may be in owning a gun he/she is just exercising the right to purchase and to defend oneself. Since we are living in a country that values the freedom of their citizens then the people of America should be given the right to exercise all their rights to the fullest, in a legal way. The government is doing everything to cater all the concerns of the people and for the country to remain safe. We have gun control laws in the country so there is no reason for a movement for the creation of a new law against guns. I believe that these reasons will ratify the conclusion why guns should not be banned.
Works Cited
Brown, Shanin and Jason Anderson. April 2006. “Concealed Weapon laws in the States”. Wisconsin Briefs from the Legislative Reference Bureau. 7 May 2009. Retrieved from: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/wb/06wb6.pdf.
Chastain, Russ. 1998. “Why own a Gun?” 7 May 2009. Retrieved from: http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/a/whyownagun.htm.
Green, Estill I. “Communication”. The New Book of Knowledge. Danburry, Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1992.
Montaldo, Charles. 2004. “What are the Gun Laws in Minnesota?” 7 May 2009. Retrieved from: http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/a/gunlaws_mn_3.htm.
Pyle, Howard. “Safety”. The New Book of Knowledge. Danburry, Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1992.
Wolfe, Eldon G. “Guns and Ammunition”. The New Book of Knowledge. Danburry, Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1992.
