The right to defend yourself is sacred
as it is inherited by birth, and often times strengthened by
governments across the globe. In recent months, however, this right
has been threaten due to ignorance, and citizens who do not adhere to
moral principles, and authority. On July 20, 2012 a clearly mentally
unstable man named James Holmes entered a movie theater in Colorado
and took the lives of almost a dozen people. This incident, once
again, rose the debate on gun control amongst Americans. Most
citizens believe that guns should be completely banned, and others
feel that law abiding inhabitants of a nation should own a firearm as
an instrument for protection. The Second Amendment of the United
States Constitution protects the right of the American people to
keep and bear arms, and I support this amendment because guns should
never be completely outlawed by any nation.
Before continuing with the piece; I
would like to add that I feel horrible for the victims of the
shootings. Secondly; I completely understand how the mass killing
enticed sorrow and anger amongst the American populace in such a
degree that it clouded their perception on guns, and gun regulation.
These same people who push for stricter gun policies are thinking in
the right direction, but have crashed along the way to their
destination. Contrary to popular belief, congress has placed national
gun laws regulating firearms, enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Part of the ATF's mission is
to protect communities from “violent criminals, criminal
organizations, the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, the
illegal use and storage of explosives” (atf.gov). The Federal
Ownership Protection Act, a revision to the Gun Control Act of 1968,
is a law that prohibits certain persons from obtaining a gun (Hardy).
These persons include anyone who has been convicted of a felony or
domestic violence, users of unlawful controlled substances, and
anyone diagnosed with a mental illness. In short, the notion that
anyone can buy a gun is not in accordance to the truth behind gun
sales, and ownership.
Those who are totally against guns
often argue that if no one had a gun, there wouldn't be any
shootings. They do have a point because how can anyone shoot someone
if they didn't have a gun? However, this is a clear example of
inductive reasoning as it presents a logical fallacy of accident; “an
argument based on generalization...when an exception to the
generalization is ignored” (Reference).As a resident of Brooklyn,
NY I can honestly say that getting a gun illegally is as easy as
coming up with $200 to $400. Guns will always be available, and
shootings will never stop, this is due to mass corruption within our
government. For example, (as reported by the New York Post) officer
“Nicholas Mina, 31, boosted four 9mm firearms from the
seventh-floor locker room at the Ninth Precinct in the East
Village...and sold the weapons to buyers unaware that he was a cop”
(NY Post). Moreover, the New York Times brought to light a case of an
F.B.I agent in El Paso, Texas named John Shipley who sold numerous
guns to drug cartels in Mexico (NY Times). These same guns were used
by drug dealers that left eight members of the Mexican military dead
(NY Times). How would a nation wide ban stop gun violence when so
much moral perversion exist within law enforcement agencies?!
The populace opposed to gun ownership
often times make negative correlations between firearms and
principles of conduct. In other words; the reason why people want to
obstruct the path between gun owners, and gun possession, is because
they think guns in of themselves are evil. If I were to perceive guns
from the eyes of the people who disprove of them, I could entertain
the notion of guns being wicked because so many criminals use them
form wrong doings. However, as a result of myself having my own
unique personality, I seek to blame individuals for their actions
rather than an inanimate object. On October 23, 2012, in Winnsboro,
LA, a woman named Sharmeka Moffitt was captured ans set on fire for
wearing an Obama t-shirt (ynaija). This is one of the many examples
of how human beings, not guns, are to blame for horrible incidents.
Again, criminals do what they want regardless of rules and
regulations. Moreover, it is quite possible that the victim of the
burning would’ve had a different ending to her story if she would
have had a gun to protect herself with.
In closing, guns themselves are not
the main enemy when it comes to violence. There are so many factors
that must be looked into. These factors include crime rates, the
general populace of a state or county, and many others such as
poverty rates. It it also beneficial to mention that in America,
criminals are often glorified whether or not the media does it in a
conscious or in-conscious manner. The people of any nation should
take initiative in preventing crimes from happening rather than
waiting until the crime has been committed so that they can then
complain about government policies. Like I said before, a gun, if
used responsibly, can be used for protection and save lives.
Works Cited
"ATF Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." ATF Online.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. <http://atf.gov/about/mission/>.
"LEGAL RESTRICTION OF
FIREARM OWNERSHIP AS AN ANSWER TO VIOLENT CRIME: WHAT WAS THE
QUESTION." LEGAL RESTRICTION OF FIREARM OWNERSHIP AS AN
ANSWER TO VIOLENT CRIME: WHAT WAS THE QUESTION. N.p., n.d. Web.
06 Nov. 2012. <http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/HardyHamline.htm>.
"Fallacy."
Reference.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.reference.com/browse/Fallacy of accident>.
"NYPD Cop 'stole'
Police Guns from Station House to Sell Them on the Street: Sources."
New York Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/officer_arrested_as_nypd_gun_thief_2aDYL0LYsXELFo7KesGY0K>.
McKinley, James C., JR.
"Texas: Agent Arrested in Gun Case." Editorial. n.d.: n.
pag. NY Times. 20 July 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/us/10brfs-AGENTARRESTE_BRF.html>.
