In light of the recent tragedies in Aurora, Portland, and Newtown, there will be many heated debates on the issues of gun control and questions raised on how to protect our children. One suggested solution is surely to be a unilateral ban on citizens owning or possessing handguns and assault rifles in the United States. I think this is an understandable solution today, but I am convinced it is the wrong one.
Constitutional arguments aside, making guns illegal does not make them go away. There are millions upon millions of them in this country. We do not have the resources to eliminate them all. In the event of a ban, many good law abiding citizens would immediately surrender their guns, and many other good law abiding citizens would immediately become criminals. The armed, violent criminal element, though, would conduct business as usual. As a comparison for enforcement success, consider the amount of illegal drugs you hear about being seized across this country, the article after article that so-and-so was arrested for possessing and/or dealing drugs. It is estimated that law enforcement seizes about one percent of the drugs that enter this country every year. One percent! Is there any chance that the odds would be better for guns? An estimated 8o million adults own guns in the United States and there are only about 800,000 law enforcement officers. If every law enforcement officer in this country was tasked exclusively with gun control, each officer would be responsible for a thousand gun owners. Sure, many criminals would be caught and arrested, but the average time served on a ten year conviction now is what? Maybe eighteen months. We do not have enough prisons to house them, or enough money to build and staff more. The numbers don't add up. We must come up with other solutions.
Suppose we decided to place armed police in every school in America. According to the federal government, there are almost one hundred and forty thousand schools in America. To place just one law enforcement officer in each school would cover almost eighteen percent of all law enforcement officers. Does anyone think that this nation in its current state could afford this expense? My solution would be to arm and train teachers and school administrators. Not all of them. Some people are not capable of killing another human being, even in defense of themselves or others. Giving individuals like that a gun would only provide an additional source of weapons to those that would commit such heinous acts. I am not disparaging them, it's just a fact of human nature. Also, there are people who do not have the temperament to exercise the necessary restraint to carry a firearm. Why not, though, identify those teachers that are capable, train them, and arm them to defend our children?
In response to attacks outside the schools, what better than encourage and teach responsible gun ownership to the general public. I have a scenario for you. A guy walks into a crowded mall intent on killing as many innocent people as possible. The guy pulls out his gun and fires at a young woman, injuring her. As the gunman walks toward her to finish the job, a responsible gun owner, properly educated and trained on the use of a firearm, shoots the gunman in the head. Everyone else survives. The end.
Admittedly. my perspective on this issue comes from that of a man who carries a gun at all times. Obviously, I carry a gun at work, but I also have a gun while sitting in a movie theater, while shopping for Christmas gifts at the Galleria, and even while watching HGTV from my easy chair. I understand that this may seem strange to some, but I have sound reasoning for doing so. It does not come from paranoia; it comes from the experience of a life constantly surrounded by violent tragedy. I refuse to be unprepared to defend myself, those that I love, and innocent strangers against violent, armed confrontations. Experience has taught me that police, while they undoubtedly do everything they can, are rarely in the right place at the right time. A common phrase, "When seconds matter, police are just minutes away" is absolutely true.
I know that my views on this subject differ from the views of several of my friends and family. Feel free to agree or disagree with me, and even post comments if you wish. I only ask that you avoid ignorant, inflammatory language when you do.
Regardless of your views on this issue, I think we can all agree that this senseless act of violence is unbelievable. My heart and prayers go out to those affected, and I sincerely hope that God offers them comfort in this trying time.
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