There is so much to write on this topic that it's truly impossible to put it all into one blog post. I would just like to point out a few idea's that will hopefully kill off this flawed ideology of "something isn't going well so let's make it illegal".
So what is the problem with guns? OMG THEY KILL PEOPLE. THE LITTLE KIDS IN SCHOOLS ARE GUNNED DOWN, THEY ARE DYING OMG.
While that is a very convincing argument, here's why simply slapping laws on firearm ownership is a terrible idea.
First and foremost, its quite obvious that regulation does very little to stop people from abusing various things. Look at drugs, look impaired driving incidents, look at pretty much every single law ever created. People break them. But does that make laws not effective? Absolutely not, but we need to make sure we are creating the right regulations without actually doing more harm than good.
I am a firm believer that guns do not kill people, and its true, they don't. I told my Sig Sauger p228 to go kill someone, and to my surprise, it didn't! Incredible discoveries here, right? And is it safe to say that people kill people? I believe so. So why are people killing people using firearms?
Mental Illness. Humans are genetically wired to be dependent on each other. The entire race has been built upon creating communities and cooperation to satisfy one's needs. It's apparent that the motive to kill others is an anomaly and quite possibly linked to a mental illness. With mental illness being the main topic of discussion here, I want you to think about how a law on gun ownership can solve someones mental illness.
Spoiler alert, a new law on guns will not solve someones mental illness. Instead of harshly regulating (and possibly infringing upon the rights of US citizens) we should be paying attention to why people are killing other people, not how (sometimes guns, sometimes not). Instead of screaming for gun control, why aren't we screaming for mental illness education and research? Why are we spending millions to generate this idea that slapping a law onto something will solve all of the issues that come along with it? It's like using glue to fix a broken chair. It just won't hold for the long term and doesn't solve the problem, just masks it temporarily.
If someone wants a gun, they can get one. It's not new information that guns are obtained illegally. How many countries around the world have strict gun laws and still have gun violence? Nearly all of them. We need to stop trying to glue this chair together and figure out how to mend the wood itself. Pay attention to research and further push the idea of human excellence. People are killing others because they are unhappy. They are sick. They are depressed or could have other illnesses. We aren't seeing perfectly healthy individuals buying guns and then using them to kill everyone. We are witnessing very sick and unwell patients taking their rage and anger out on others in an act of ignorance and desperation. If we can solve or at least help to alleviate mental illnesses I truly believe we can eliminate nearly all violence, including gun violence.
So why are people sick and what can we do to solve this problem? First, stop believing the mainstream medias idea of regulating everything. Remember when we thought Marijuana was the devil? Yeah, regulating things without understanding the actual root cause of the problem is in itself a problem. Throwing laws around hoping for positive results is not going to aid this situation. Instead, more research on mental illness and how to spot it in individuals is the key here.
So why not ban all guns in the hands of those who are depressed? First, diagnosing depression has been inaccurate and very uninformed. Depression comes in many different phases and types. One can wake up one day and be feeling perfectly fine and the next, completely and utterly destroyed. We can't just rip guns away from every single person who has ever had a sad day or negative thought. That's not how the medical world works and also won't alleviate our problems as this may result in even more depression.
Things for discussion:
What if we take guns (someone's rights) away from one who is depressed? Could this not cause even further implications for their health?
Is everyone that has a mental illness actually dangerous to themselves and others? Does this perceived danger actually warrant the relinquishing of their rights? How does taking one's guns away actually improve their mental well being, what stops them from just using a different weapon to achieve the same results?
How can gun regulation help to further the motive and narrative of those actually creating violence in society?
How will taking guns away or making it much harder to purchase them affect those who aren't mentally unstable for the time being? Remember that mental illness can be developed and isn't always diagnosed right away. Perhaps someone is having suicidal thoughts while going through a divorce. Does this make them unfit to own a gun? Does this mean every single person that goes through stress will develop a need to kill others?
Can gun ownership actually help those with mental illness? I have personally witnessed people taking their anger and stress out at the gun range. They didn't hurt anyone, just shot some holes in a piece of paper and then went home peacefully, no harm done. Could taking this away from people result in causing them further stress and mental implications?
Obviously, we cannot allow mass shootings to keep happening, but I do not believe that slapping some laws on guns will actually solve our problem. Instead, further research and support need to be put in place to solve the core issue here which is humans feeling the need to inflict harm on others. The gun didn't choose that, the person did, and thus we have an issue with their mental well being, not their tool of choice. A lot of pro-gun regulation people love to look at how making guns unavailable legally would help to lower violence, but they don't choose to look at how those guns that are actually used for violence are obtained or used, and why... Why being the most important in my opinion.
Please feel free to leave your opinion, facts, and research below. I love talking about this kind of stuff and if you can prove me wrong, I am more than willing to admit it. I just can't see how creating more laws, even after historical evidence shows us it isn't effective (for example, people still die from drug abuse) will actually solve the issue we have.
Regulation does not solve problems, science does
Let's come together and further our research into why people are struggling with mental illness's and figure out how we can help as opposed to placing blame on an emotionless, thoughtless, tool.