How America Doesn’t Need Guns

I am in support of gun control in America. I don’t think the value placed on guns, whether it be historical or cultural, outweighs the cost of human life. We should get rid of guns completely.

There is no version of the current gun control laws that could fix things. Making it more difficult to get guns, or banning certain kinds of guns will not fix the problem. There is no doubt there is value in guns since we have a long history with them.

Maybe there are families that place sentimental value on their guns, but that value does not outweigh the cost. The cost could be 1 person shot, or even 100. There is no version of the law that would make it acceptable to have guns in this country.

There will always be a risk if we do not eliminate guns. As we change over time, rights change over time. The mindset of ‘I have the right to carry a gun,’ is stuck in the past.

People need to accept the fact that human rights change. What does this time in America call for? It doesn’t need guns.

I don’t trust myself with a gun, and therefore, I don’t trust anyone else with one. I would not feel safer if I carried one. I am not trained, nor in the army, nor on a battlefield.

Most people, like me, are not in this circumstance and therefore, don’t need a gun. I’ve not had a specific experience with guns. There have been instances that have shaped my opinion on the value of human life, and that is relevant to guns.

I know from losing people, including a friend in his early 20s who passed away, that life is not something to be thought of lightly. Gun control has become so politicized. This is part of the problem.

There’s also health care and academics. Educators and the healthcare system are not prepared to handle youths with mental illness. We are not ready to admit that the problem also has to do with bigotry.

It’s a consequence of our own bigotry that we are going to extremes. We hate and belittle people, and out of the pain, we cause reactive hatred. We need to build bridges between people and stop politicizing guns.

It’s not an issue of politics, but of human life.