About a month and a half ago, an unspeakable tragedy pierced the morning in Newtown, Conn.
We know the story well and we pray for everyone whose lives were changed forever by this violence. As we take up the gun control debate, it is important to keep perspective.
The United States has a long history of debating whether the federal government has the power to limit and control the use of firearms in our country, and the events of December 14 have effectively poured gasoline onto an already lit fire. Unfortunately, the Newtown shootings have also allowed for well-intentioned emotional responses to overwhelm the problem.
There is no question that both sides have good intentions, and it is absurd to believe that one side condones violence over the other; however, it is also absurd to believe that the prohibited sale or possession of specific firearms will ever end killing in the United States. Simply put: guns do not kill people, people kill people.
It becomes an extremely slippery slope when congress imposes gun regulations – where do the regulations end? People are killed not just by guns, but also by knives, crowbars, baseball bats, and all sorts of everyday objects. I find it hard to believe that insisting lawbreakers turn in their guns will do anything.
More importantly, most of these crimes are being committed with illegally-obtained guns — guns that have not been controlled or regulated by the government. These criminals will continue to own and use their guns regardless of any sort of legislation that is passed.
Consequently, it is completely backward to assume that banning those who abide by the law from carrying personal protection will allow for a safer society, when in actuality the only way for an individual to keep safe in a country that recognizes the right to own a firearm is to exercise that right as well.
While the proposed control and ban of some weapons is valiant, we cannot ignore the Second Amendment and the freedoms that it recognizes — especially since the banning of weapons has not and will not end crime.
In 1994, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban took effect under President Clinton. It was meant to ban all semi-automatic weapons in an attempt to end gun violence; however, in 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado, assault weapons were used even though it was illegal to possess them by federal law.
In conclusion, ending the will of people to kill others is what will truly end gun violence. The prohibition of sale or possession of specific weapons will not dissuade the psychopaths of society from killing others, and it only weakens the defenses of others citizens against these criminals.