Abstract
Use and possession of firearms by civilians has come under a lot of controversy and scrutiny owing to the increasingly frequent incidents of mass murders and shootings by civilians with personal or illicitly acquired firearms. This has led to a ban of firearms in the United States. This essay discusses this issue and provides arguments against this administrative ban on firearms, suggesting how allowing use of firearms may be useful socially.
Firearms should not Become Illegal
Introduction
On April 14, 2010 the United States administration took a step towards banning an elaborate list of fire arms for civilians that included an array of semi-automatic and heavy firing guns. The ban was brought into effect as a measure to put a control upon the usage and possession of fire arms, apparently to bring down the crimes related to shooting and as a result of mass shooting incidents occurring in schools, colleges, stadiums etc. The law was welcomed with lop sided reaction all over the States with a large number of individuals protesting against this ban. This essay takes up the argument in favour of why fire arms should not be banned and discusses points of view of both sides of for and against the motion.
Discussion
The world all over, there are millions of individuals who own firearms and there is a wide spectrum of reasons for choice of owning them. There are several reasons as to why a person should consider keeping a gun and essentially it is unquantifiable as to what combination of reasons would apply on an owner for keeping a fire arm. Some of these reasons are discussed further
Guns formerly under family possession are often a condition in determining if a person would like to become a gun owner and familial legacies of gifting guns to the next generation from parents helps ascertain how many guns a household may possess. However in some cases, some of the members of the following generation may or may not continue keeping guns, but this is highly an individual decision. When parents take more care in teaching proper gun-handling and tending skills and other knowledge regarding firearms, there are greater chances of the recipient this “gun” legacy to embrace it.
Hunting is another reason to have the ownership of a gun or of several guns. Owning a gun for the purpose of hunting only is possibly the commonest of arguments in the USA, although a lot of hunters, through contact and experience with different forms of firearms, become easy with their use and frequently may wish to own guns for other purposes too.
Some people like the challenge of Target Shooting. Shooting accurately has aesthetical value for a shooter as the pleasure that a shooter may derive from this is comparative to any activity or hobby. Target shooting helps some shooters to focus and provides them with a sense of achievement when they shoot comparatively better than their peers. Some gun owners may use their guns simply to be part of “social shooting” activities, for example sporting clays, cowboy shooting, etc. and this hobby can become comparable to other activities, for example golf.
However, by far the most important reason for a person to own a gun is self-defence. Humans possess a strong urge for self-preservation and a gun is commonly taken as one of the best tool to counter a life threatening situations for themselves of their family members. The police may not be able to protect citizens at all times, and one should understand their responsibility for one's own safety and security. To refute a person the right to defend them from a life threatening situation is a heinous crime against humanity itself and to own a gun for the purpose of defence is a universal and basic human right. Whether one defends against an individual, a group, or an administration; owning a gun and knowing the ability of proper use of guns enforces an individual. Empowered people cannot be enslaved and with increasing gun ownership crime rate decreases. Many situations of self-defence do not even demand the firing of a gun; its presence alone is enough.
Anti-gun supporters feel that there should be a ban on civilians owning firearms, as they argue that guns are too dangerous. The belief of this group is that civilians should not be allowed owning guns for several reasons, some of which follow. There have been several incidents of children finding owned guns and accidentally firing these guns at themselves or at other children. Other reasons that this group of people recount are drive-by shoots, mob-related killings etc. They conclude, that banning civilian-owned firearms is obligatory in society
As a counter to these arguments firearm owners enumerate the following observations across the world comparing the gun regulatory laws in Israel and England. It is a fact that Israel necessitates every citizen to own a gun of some form and directly correlate the fact that Israel has a very low crime rate. They explain further that when everyone has a firearm, an assailant would think twice before attacking someone in possession of firearms. On the other hand, England has stringent firearm laws and also has a very high violent crime rate. The reason is that criminals acquire guns illegally and have the knowledge that not many citizens would own a gun. It may be concluded to say that outlawing civilian-owned firearms will result into a sharp increase in crime, including mugging, armed robbery, murder and rape.
Conclusion
Gun enthusiasts believe that firearms should not be banned but should be controlled in distribution. Detailed background and foreground checks must be made and criminal history records must be furnished and verified before a gun is sold, whether for hunting or merely for collecting. Individuals in perfect standing should be permissible to own weapons. These measures would bring transparency and will help keep crime rates in control. This would also mean a decrease in illicit gun sales and lay opportunity for punishment of deviators. It is advocated that citizens with a good standing should have an opportunity to own weapons on their own accord and help in implementing the civil rights that the constitution of a nation provides its people.
