I couldn't quite believe that those numbers were real, so I did some research. (by which I mean, "I Googled "Americans gun control numbers"") and I got back these results:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2013/01/14/National-Politics/Polling/release_192.xml
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2013/images/01/16/rel1b4pm.pdf
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2013/01/18/fox-news-poll-gun-rights-and-gun-control/
So, the Washington Post and CNN are Liberal media outlets, so when I posted them first someone commented on the picture bashing me for believing the obviously faked numbers which gun-hating, Liberal America wanted me to believe. So I looked again, and found the FOX News poll, which gives almost exactly the same numbers.
But people are never satisfied, so I played Devil's Advocate for a while. While saying again and again that I do not *agree* with the measures (Assault Weapons Ban, banning semi-automatic weapons, etc.) I do believe that they may be the best idea FOR THE COUNTRY. While I trust myself perfectly well to handle any firearm within a few feet of a classroom of children, I can't say that I have the same faith in all American citizens; for quite a few, I wouldn't hand them a butter knife if they were tied to a chair, for fear they would somehow kill someone with it. And seeing as these dangerous people are finding more and more ways to harm themselves and others, I do believe that, IN THE INTERESTS OF KEEPING THIS NATION ALIVE, that some personal freedoms may have to be surrendered. The freedom to burn trash in your own yard has been illegal for some time, because while you may be capable enough not to burn your own house down, it does put others around you at risk.
So I can see why people would ask for these measures. Again, I do NOT agree with them, and I do believe that the Second Amendment grants us the privilege to own and bear whatever firearms we please- they created that Amendment in order to allow people to rise up and fight their Government if necessary- but they did not see today's world when they wrote it. They had no idea how dense population would become; they couldn't possibly have foreseen the military-grade equipment we regularly see today. "Cutting-edge weapons technology" of the time was a rifled barrel; today, gas pistons are cycling weapons automatically, allowing for fully-automatic fire with minimal maintenance and cleaning of the bolt housing and group, and ammunition and weapons allow for engagements at ranges which Revolution-era soldiers couldn't have dreamed of. So while I do believe that the Second Amendment was designed to ensure that American citizens had access to such military-grade weaponry, I also believe that it was written in a very different time; the concept that you had to rebel against established authority was, obviously, very reasonable and logical to the men who birthed the American Revolution. Today, it simply isn't.
So I found myself arguing that gun control is necessary to maintain this world in which we live.
And I find myself arguing it once again.
Once again, I DO NOT AGREE with the idea of limiting *my* access to weapons and ammunition; however, I wholeheartedly agree with the concept that some people- a lot of people, actually- should be barred from buying, owning, and handling the same weapons.
I agree: people whose jobs require the use of firearms (police, security guards, military, etc.) are provided with EXTENSIVE training (including safety training), and are given weapons. And, because of their jobs, most of them see the kind of pain and destruction that guns can cause up close and personal at least once. So they take guns very seriously.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not all states require background checks, safety training, psychological profiles, etc. for people who want to buy guns. Also, you can buy guns online with no license. A private citizen needs a gun for one of two things: hunting and defending yourself. And if you need a semi-automatic rifle to defend yourself, if you need a gun that can fire hundreds of rounds in a matter of seconds to deter burglars in your home, then you should probably get some target practice. If you can't do it in one shot, you shouldn't be shooting at all.
And here's the thing: you can kill people with a car. You can kill people with a knife. You can kill people with a damn plastic spoon if you really want to. Anything can be a lethal weapon. The difference is that other tools were designed and can be used for other purposes. The sole purpose of a gun is death.
Personally, i think that in addition to background checks and psychological profiling, anyone who wants to buy a gun should be required to submit to a home inspection where someone makes sure that they have a gun cabinet with a functional lock and a hidden key, so that just in case they have an unstable child/spouse/neighbor/etc., no one can access the guns except for the person who has the actual license and safety training. But that will never happen, so the best i can hope for is that when the unstable teenage boy digs through the cardboard box in the garage, the worst thing he'll find is a hunting rifle or handgun.