Guns, More Than Just a Right

Guns, More Than Just a Right

     For those of us that live in the United States of America, we have the right to bear arms which means that we have the right to own and use firearms. This is a right that many Americans take very seriously and there are also some people who are trying very hard to destroy this right. Many of the people interested in changing the Constitution use the excuse that guns kill people and by taking the guns away from law abiding citizens, there will be less crime and less gun violence. This can’t be further from the truth and I personally feel that the “anti-gun” crowd knows this too.

     It is a fact that all states that allow concealed carry of firearms have less crime than they did before a concealed carry law was put in place. It is also a fact that legal and law abiding citizens are not the ones committing criminal acts against other people or their property. It can also be said that 99% of criminal activity is committed by those who do not lawfully have the right to own a firearm. These facts just cannot be debated because we all know that it is true.

     Owning a gun is not something that only a few “gun nuts” do. Owning a gun whether that be a rifle, shotgun or a handgun means that you have the ability to defend yourself against a possible attack; it means that you have the means to hunt for food; it means that you have the ability to target practice which is a great sport for the whole family. These are the things that law abiding citizens do with firearms. Many people also collect firearms as a hobby because there is much history in them and they have significant value attached to them. As you can see, there is much more to guns than using them for sticking up a bank or shooting people.

     It would be foolish to say that taking guns away from law abiding citizens would reduce gun crimes. The criminal does not care about gun laws and if the government decided to take our guns away, the criminal would just get them on the black market anyway and then because they know that we the law abiding citizens no longer have them, they would have no fear of attacking us because they would know we couldn’t do anything about it.

     Many people have said that only the police should have guns and that the police will protect us. Well, as a law enforcement professional I can tell you that this just isn’t the case. Law enforcement officers do their best to help people but we all know that we can’t be everywhere all the time. In fact most violent attacks are over well before a police officer can get to the scene so instead of helping the victim, we usually end up taking pictures of their dead bodies because they could not defend themselves and we were unable to get there fast enough to help them.

     This should be an eye opener for those of you who feel that the police will protect you at all times. While the police want to protect you and keep you safe, we cannot always do so. It should be perfectly clear that you need to be capable of protecting yourself and by having a firearm and training with it, you will have the tool needed to fend off attackers and maybe buying yourself some time so we as police officers can get there quick enough to help.

     Never let the anti-gun people tell you that you are safe without a gun. It is just not true. If anyone still disagrees, go to your library or research online about gun crimes and the statistical data that there is out there. You will be completely shocked and most likely horrified by the cases where a gun could have saved innocent lives.

     Please be logical and please get a gun and get training in the use of one. It could be the most important tool you may ever own. The safety and security of your family depends on you being able to defend them, and a gun will do that. Safety and respect are important when dealing with guns, but once you know how to safely use one, you will be much more secure from those who wish to do you harm.