Guns Are Needed For Civilian Use

By: Daniel Sheehan

Although guns can be used to cause violence, civilians need them to protect themselves, their families, and their property.

In 1997 when the United Kingdom banned handguns from the public, the murder rates rose. This is because no matter what there are going to be criminals who will kill innocent people, and taking guns out of the civilians hands made it easier for the criminals to do so.

As NRA (National Rifle Association) CEO Wayne LaPierre stated, “The only thing that stops a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun”. Taking guns out of the hands of civilians would cause more  problems than good because criminals would know that it would be very hard for people to protect themselves. 

Although there are other ways for civilians to protect themselves, none are as effective as owning and carrying a gun. According to the Women’s Self Defense Institute, the average police response time to a 9-1-1 call is 10 minutes. That is a long time if somebody is robbing your house or committing a violent crime against you or somebody you love. 

Our founding fathers made the 2nd Amendment for a reason. The 2nd Amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” 

Our founding fathers knew that owning guns was necessary to keep order and peace in a free nation. They lived in a time when the government was ruled by a king or queen who wanted power over the people, and they believed that everyone had a right to be able to protect themselves, their families, and their property. 

MAIG (Mayors Against Illegal Guns) would argue that fewer people having weapons would lead to less violence. A study from the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy found that countries with more guns have lower murder rates. Also, all of the mass shootings in the United States since 1950 except one have been in states where citizens are banned from carrying guns. 

Guns in the United States are used 80 times more frequently to prevent a crime than they are to kill a person. In 2011, there were 323 people killed by rifles, which includes  “assault rifles”,  in the United States. There were 496 people killed by hammers/club like objects, 1,694 people killed by knives/cutting instruments, and nearly 10,000 people killed by drunk driving.

Why would we ban “assault rifles” before banning hammers, knives, and alcohol? All of these are items which many people use responsibly but some people use irresponsibly leading to the deaths of innocent people. 

Although when guns get in the hands of criminals they can cause tragedies, they are needed by civilians to protect themselves and to keep peace in a free nation.