Outside the Bellway

People have been calling for gun control for so long, it seems there have been no new arguments in the field for decades. Despite the constant clamoring for more gun control, the simple truth is there is no longer solid ground to stand on. Don’t believe it? Here are five simple facts demonstrating exactly why gun control is a nutty argument.

1. Criminals Don’t Obey Laws

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It’s against the law to kill people; a first degree felony if it’s premeditated murder. In most states, this carries with it the possibility of the death penalty. Since people are willing to break this law, what makes you think putting a restriction on gun ownership would prevent said ownership? More pointedly, consider illegal drug use over the years. As spending has risen, gun usage has risen as well. Obviously, a law banning something does not prevent people from getting around those restrictions.

2. Violence Finds a Way

Even if you somehow eradicated gun violence, that wouldn’t stop the many violent outbursts that take place. When someone is ready to snap, they will find a way to get it done. Knives may not have the distance of a gun, but they can be just as effective, as demonstrated in stabbing sprees like this one in Texas.

3. Background Checks Only Look at History

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One way people propose to institute extra gun control is with more background check laws. In theory, this is great. Unfortunately, it fails to account for one simple thing: A background check only looks at your history. What if you have no criminal history and suddenly decide you want to go on a shooting spree? The only solution here would be to ban guns outright, which would lead to a whole hat-full of other issues.

4. The Government Still Has Guns

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Most of the time you bring up military or law enforcement in an argument about gun control, people give them a free pass. For some reason, people act as if working for the government somehow puts you above the law. Oftentimes, “highly trained” government employees are no better prepared than a private citizen, and sometimes they even fall short of this. The belief that private citizens should have guns restricted but government agents should be able to have whatever they want is a direct contradiction.

5. Abstinence Education Doesn’t Work

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This one may seem like a stretch, but hold in there for a minute and listen. If all of these anti-gun groups taught safe gun handling rather than spreading propaganda about how bad guns are, perhaps they could help make a real difference by preventing accidental shootings. If everyone handled guns properly, there would be no accidental shootings. Just like abstinence education doesn’t work for sex, it also doesn’t help with gun violence.

6. Children And Guns

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When all else fails, gun control advocates often turn to children as a reason guns need to be more heavily regulated. While keeping uneducated children away from guns makes sense, the legal age to own a rifle or shotgun is already set at 18 and a pistol is set at 21. In other words, children can’t get a gun on their own. The parent’s need to assume responsibility to keep children away from guns and unless you propose banning guns from all families (which would mean many military and law enforcement officers wouldn’t have their guns at home), then this argument is just nonsensical.

What do you think? Do you have an argument for gun control that overcomes any of these challenges?

Additional Image: Verdict

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