It seems that in the history of our country, some debates have never gotten old. To be honest, some debates will probably never get old, but they do cycle in and out of style. One of the debates that is back in style right now is the 2nd Amendment; “the right to bear arms.”
One thing about this debate that makes it so tenacious is the strong arguments on both sides.
The “right to own a gun side” has the Bill of Rights at its back, word for word supporting the very thing they want to maintain. Any opponent would have a difficult time with this because, let’s face it, you would have to amend the amendments, and that is not so easy. Also, many proponents of this perspective believe the world would be safer if everyone had a gun. The logic is: if everyone had a gun, no one would risk shooting anyone else.
The “gun control” side has the social, personal and emotional backing of all the violent crimes that happen in America. These people say, “look, guns would be okay, but the track record is we suck at using them responsibly, so we have to take them away.” This side argues: if no one had a gun, no one would be able to shoot anyone else.
Obviously, each side would have responses to the arguments I just gave as their examples, but in my opinion, these are the foundational assumptions of each perspective.
The interesting thing about these arguments is that under close inspection we see that each side actually wants the same end; namely, to keep people safe, they just have different ideas about how it should be achieved. Despite the differences, there is room for opponents to come together on this issue.
The inherent goal of each side is SAFETY. They both believe their plan of action, followed unwaveringly to the end, would lead to safety for all citizens.
What I say to the “right to own a gun side” is this.
If you want to keep your right to own and shoot your gun, then you must become the most ferocious advocate of responsible gun ownership. You must encourage people who own guns to use them responsibly and educate them in how to do it. You must encourage legislation that requires safety courses and training in how to use a gun. You must be the most dedicated voice to create a new perspective of guns, that they are not weapons, but rather tools and must never be used against another human being. If you spend your energy doing this, rather than clinging tightly to your right to own a gun, then you will eliminate the debate and gun control legislation will be a thing of the past. If everyone were using guns responsibly, no one would be bothering to control them.
What I say to the gun control side is this.
You must also seek to teach people to responsibly utilize their freedoms before you take those freedoms away. Until you have restlessly walked our country teaching people about the usefulness and power of firearms and also encouraged them to be responsible about their gun ownership, then you cannot wrench them from the hands of their owners. If you spend your energy doing this, rather than working to pass legislation to take guns away, you will eliminate the debate and gun control legislation will be a thing of the past. When everyone is using guns responsibly, then no one will need to fight to control them.
I realize that people will argue that we are past this point and that this cause would be a lost one. But no cause is lost when people come together to achieve it. And before I would seek to discipline or hinder, I would seek to empower and educate. No person is past the point of being taught how to use a gun responsibly.
If both sides of the debate pool their resources to make this happen, I firmly believe that we would see a world where guns are owned and responsibly used.
No one would have to give up their rights; no one would have to give up their safety.
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