Entry/ Diagnostic Essay

Control Shooters, Not Guns

            Guns don’t kill people do. With the recent mass shooting that happened, some people think that we need more guns with less gun control. But others think that we need less guns with more gun control. Indeed, gun control is a popular issue in society. May it be in our country, in the United States, and in other parts of the world where humans and firearms interact, thus resulting into violence. But does gun control make life safer or more dangerous? Would a gun ban make the world a safe place to live in? Now for a moment, let’s think out of the box of whether we want our country to be a pro-gun or one gunless society.

            People who are pro gun control imagine a peaceful world, with no violence and other things if guns are to be banned. And it is true that we all envision a world with no one using guns ever. No burglars have guns, no robbers and no terrorists have guns. That would mean a perfect secured place to live in. First and foremost, if gun control is established, there will be no violent crime and no gun violence. A ban would reduce shootings and increase safety. Last January, a 7-year old girl died because her head was hit by a stray bullet. The girl’s name was Stephanie Nicole, and her death reignited once again the concerns on whether our country should impose gun control. The palace is now considering the need to update gun legislation following the death of Stephanie Nicole and other stray bullet victims, and a shooting rampage in Cavite which also happened last January, which left 8 people dead. With the recent happenings, more and more people suggest that aspiring for a gunless society is one of the steps towards achieving peace in our country. Without a doubt, the positive effects of gun control sound good, but are those realistic enough? Looking at the pros of gun control is thinking of the entire picture only half way through. Now let’s see the other half picture of the thought.

            The problem mainly with the thinking of gun control making the world a much safer and peaceful place is simply not realistic. People who have heard the stories of children or people killed by guns, jumped eventually on the gun control bandwagon without thinking much of the big picture behind. Let’s take a look on this, murderers will murder with or without a gun. Guns are really not the problem, we have to take into perspective that criminals don’t obey gun laws, and criminals would love a gunless society. Definitely, guns can be dangerous, but is it the only thing used for killing and harming others? Apparently no, there are also dangerous things such as knives, bombs, grenades, sticks, and the like. Another thing is that a gun ban may not work, because it can only target legal weapons, and legal weapons in most crimes are not the ones used. Illegal guns are the ones used most of the time, and if legal guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Last thing would be, is to know that our world out there is not pretty safe, and being completely defenseless against unexpected things is not a good idea, and firearms are one of the things you can use to protect your family as well as yourself.

            To sum it up, banning guns in our society would not result deterrence in violence. We should know that criminals out there won’t respect the laws being implemented by our government, such as if the gun ban were to be approved. These people, the criminals, would still find their way to gain possession of illegal firearms. With regards to this, there should be stricter laws for the selling of weapons in the black market. Enforcing laws and stricter requirements for gun ownership must also be done. One last thing is that with or without the gun ban, keep in mind that people will still kill people when, where, and how they want to. Therefore, the problem really here is not the gun, but the people using it to commit such crimes. Because if guns kill people; spoons make you fat, a simple analogy for us to ponder on.