(Newswire.net — April 11, 2018) — There have been 58 mass shootings already in 2018. You would be forgiven for thinking that this strengthens the argument for stricter gun control or even the abolishment of guns?
However, although the debate rages on this is not a likely scenario.
It’s not because you can find plenty of ways of improving your aim with gear, or because guns appear to be everywhere. The debate continues because many people feel this is a matter of freedom; the possession of guns by individuals is a basic right in the US.
The Second Amendment
This amendment to the constitution of the United States was adopted in 1791 and specifically mentions the right to keep and bear arms.
In one way people arguing for the right to possess guns are simply confirming a right that was decreed over 200 years ago.
But the real reason runs deeper than this. If the government are allowed to amend the constitution today to remove the right to bear guns then what is stopping them from making any other amendment they see fit.
The crux of the matter is not the right to bear guns but the right to retain the freedoms that have been awarded to the people.
Gun Control
Of course there are many people who argue that times have changed and gun control is now essential as violence and murder rates increase.
But, it is interesting to note that just 3% of the population owns half the civilian guns. What’s more citizens who legally own guns are less likely to commit a crime than a police officer.
Guns themselves may be an issue but it is not the legal ownership that causes the problem. It is the illegally held guns that are used in the majority of crimes.
Until the law enforcement agencies can figure out how to stop illegal gun ownership then many US citizens prefer the idea that an honest person with a gun is a better deterrent to criminals than no guns.
Indeed statistics also seem to bear this fact out.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that gun owners will not give up the right to own guns unless they are assured that illegal guns are no longer possible. This is unlikely to ever happen.
When you add in the fact that gun ownership is allowed by the very constitution of the US then it would seem unlikely that any government would want to go against the freedom of the people and declare guns illegal.
The majority of Americans don’t own a gun but that doesn’t mean they want the right to own a gun taken away. For these people it’s not about having a gun, it’s about the right to have one.
After all if you were allowed something and then told you weren’t; how would you feel?