I will save you the time, and tell you right now that I am a huge supporter of the 2nd Amendment.
I grew up around guns and was taught how to use them at a young age. Yes, I have all of my teeth. Yes, I will finish college. No, I do not live in a trailer park. Gun owners have earned a bad reputation over the past twenty years due to many gun involved tragedies. I am here to tell you that I think what the people involved did was inexcusable. Give them "the chair" as far as I'm concerned. I also believe that people that do not own guns are capable of just as much evil as gun owners. There are many instances of this in national news, and people tend to overlook it.
Pro gun Americans agree with the RIGHT to bear arms. If you are an American citizen and pay taxes, it is your right to purchase guns to defend yourself or for recreational purposes such as hunting and competition shooting. If you are a felon, you gave up your right when you broke the federal laws. Gun enthusiasts don't want everyone to own a gun, they just want the freedom to do it themselves.
My grandfather used to take me out in the backyard and let me shoot cans with a bb gun. After innumerable talks about gun safety and responsibility I graduated to a pellet gun, then to my father's 4-10, and after that I caught the bug. When I say, "I caught the bug" it doesn't sound that great, but it is the truth. I love guns. I love shooting them, cleaning them, buying them, and the ability to own them. Do I want to shoot anyone?? I absolutely do not want to ever have to take a human life. If you break into my house with the intention to harm my family, you can bet I will though. A man's right to defend himself and his family goes way beyond federal legislation. It is an instinct that he cannot shake. Some men believe in doing this by purchasing guns, and other men do it in other ways. Ladies, I am not saying guns are not for you. I am just speaking from a man's point of view.
Why not be prepared? I pray to the Lord that I will never have to use the pistol next to my bed on a home invader. I don't want anyone in my house in the first place!
Events like the Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech shootings are horrible tragedies. These tragedies are all highly associated with gun control and are a strong argument for the other side of the political belief system. I understand why there are Americans who fight the right to own guns. Guns are scary. If they are in the hands of the wrong people, terrible things can happen. What I am getting at is that all gun owners are not crazed nut jobs, locked in their apartments, and waiting to make their move. We have guns for self defense and personal hobbies. If you take away a person's way to defend themselves and their favorite pastimes what do they have?
If the argument for the other side is that guns should be outlawed or highly restricted because they hurt people, shouldn't we put the death sentence on every murderer that is convicted? Why not? They are hurting innocent people. Guns have potential to hurt people, but why should law abiding citizens of America have their guns taken away? "Innocent until proven guilty" is what I thought we stood by in this country. Drunk drivers kill over 10,000 people a year in America. Raise your hand if you want to outlaw alcohol and/or cars. I didn't think so.
I know I am not changing any minds with this post. I just like to write things out to organize the massive web of thoughts in my head. If we ever get someone into The Oval Office that tries to take our guns, I can guarantee it will be more trouble than it's worth. Why punish all gun owners because of a few bad apples?
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