Guns are not the enemy.

Train and license

     Guns are not the enemy.  They are not the devil and guns don’t kill people.  People kill people.  Careless people with guns and people who don’t know how to handle a gun, kill people.  People were killing each other long before there were guns and they will be killing each other long after guns are gone.  In prison inmates kill each other every day and they don’t have guns.  They do not need them.  The gun is not the weapon.  The person is the weapon.  It is the hard heart that kills.  The individual with a determined mindset and an indomitable spirit will always find a way to get the job done.  If you have done something to someone that in their mind of that person warrants killing you, then that is that.  If this person is motivated enough, then they are going to kill you, no matter what and they don’t need a gun to do it. They can run you down with a truck or just do it the old fashioned way and bash your skull in with a stone.  In any event, a truly determined individual will find some way to get the job done.  Taking away my gun would not stop me and it would not stop you from doing the same.  I believe that instead of trying to keep guns out of the hands of citizens, we should instead insure that they are properly trained on how and when to use a weapon and be licensed.

     In order to operate a motor-vehicle you have to show proficiency with the operation of that vehicle, and you have to prove that you have an understanding of the laws with regard to the use of a motor-vehicle.  Does it not also stand to reason that you should have to have some reasonable level of proficiency in the use of a gun if you are going to own and operate a gun of any kind, whether it is a hand-gun, rifle, whatever the case may be?  Everyone is ok with police officers carrying guns.  Why is that, because we all know that police officers are trained on how and when to use their weapons, and we trust that the officer will exercise all due caution.  It should be the same for John Q. Citizen.

     In the military we have certain basic safety rules with regard to the use of weapons.  These are simple make sense rules.  Rules like don’t point your weapon at anything you are not willing to destroy.  You must be sure of your target and what is beyond it.  You have to know what you are going to hit if you miss or if the round goes through the target.  Leave the safety on until you are directly on target and of course do not put your finger on the trigger until you are about to shoot.  Following these simple rules helps greatly reduce the number of accidents.  The police have similar guidelines.  So why is the civilian population not required to follow similar make sense guidance.  My point is if our legislators were genuinely concerned with reducing gun violence and the number of accidental discharges, then they would introduce practical legislation geared toward actually dealing with the issues.

     The current gun legislation varies from one state to the next and just makes it hard for John Q Citizen to purchase and carry a weapon.  Citizens need guns to protect themselves from the criminal element.  You have a right to feel safe in your home and to be safe on the street everywhere you go, any time day or night.  Criminals already have guns and to make things worse they usually attack in groups.   Anyone who is up to something wrong is not going to go out and legally purchase a weapon and register it.  Criminals don’t do that, instead they purchase weapons illegally on the street or they steal them.  So no amount of legislation will keep guns out of the hands of criminals.  But, time and time again the lawmakers use this same old tired argument as their justification for enacting more and more laws that make it difficult for citizens to own guns and protect themselves.  They will attempt to frighten the public by stating the violent crime statistics.  They then will use these statistics as their justification for enacting more and more stringent laws.  As stated earlier, guns don’t kill people, people kill people.

     “According to the National Self Defense Survey conducted by Florida State University criminologists in 1994, the rate of Defensive Gun Uses can be projected nationwide to approximately 2.5 million per year -- one Defensive Gun Use every 13 seconds.

     Among 15.7% of gun defenders interviewed nationwide during The National Self Defense Survey, the defender believed that someone "almost certainly" would have died had the gun not been used for protection -- a life saved by a privately held gun about once every 1.3 minutes. (In another 14.2% cases, the defender believed someone "probably" would have died if the gun hadn't been used in defense.)

     In over half of these gun defense incidents, the defender was facing two or more attackers – and three or more attackers in over a quarter of these cases. (No means of defense other than a firearm -- martial arts, pepper spray, or stun guns -- gives a potential victim a decent chance of getting away uninjured when facing multiple attackers.)

     In 79.7% of these gun defenses, the defender used a concealable handgun. A quarter of the gun defenses occurred in places away from the defender's home.”   (The World Wide Web gun defense clock)

     The founding fathers of the United States felt so strongly about the issue of citizens being able to own and carry weapons, that they included it in the United States Constitution. “The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that declares "a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

  The meaning and scope of this right has been described as among the most contested of the rights codified in the Bill of Rights.” (Wikipedia.org)

      The right of citizens to own and carry weapons has been an issue of debate since this country was founded and I have no doubt that it will continue to be an issue of debate for many years to come. As for me I think the National Rifle Association spokesperson Charlton Heston said it best when he stated “You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hand.” I would feel much better if I knew that everyone else out there carrying a weapon was trained on how and when to use it.

Dane E. Gilkey

                                                               Works Cited


Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, "The world wide web gun defense clock". Armed Resistance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a Gun. 17 Feburary, 2009 http://www.pulpless.com/gunclock/stats.html.


The Bill of Rights, "wikipedia.org". United States Constitution. 17 Feburary, 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution>.