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Gun Control

John Lithgow once theorized on “Third Rock from the Sun” that due to the kinetic energy propelling a bullet and the subsequent friction exerted on the body by that bullet that “guns don’t kill people, physics kills people.” In Lithgow’s argument, physics, the study of matter and motion, represents the force that causes the negative effects of guns. While the idea that physics is the sole perpetrator causing gun violence sounds comical, a more feasible alternative has yet to be widely accepted. Therefore, if the cause to the gun violence is so difficult to establish, a resolution on how to control guns should be nearly impossible. Guns have existed for centuries and have been used for fighting, hunting, and protection, yet the purpose of guns has remained the same- death. Throughout time, societies have argued over their intent, rationalized their necessity, and fought for their existence. How does a community go about controlling an instrument that encroaches on their society and brings about an end to life? A myriad of possible solutions has been attempted. On one end is a total ban of all firearms, and on the other is total freedom.

Currently, the United States does not stand on either

Globally, the countries choosing to put the power of defense and personal safety into the hands of the public have found success. In Israel, every citizen, man or woman, must serve in the army for two years. The outcome is not only one of the strongest armies in the world, but a community where the handling and use of firearms happens regularly and a nation where the rate of death by firearms reaches as low as 2.91 people per 100,000 (Carter). Switzerland tackles the gun control issue with quite a different approach. Similarly to the United States, the Swiss require a permit to purchase a firearm, but without as many restrictions. In Switzerland, to bear arms in public requires an additional permit, but obtaining this permit, obligates the pursuer “to pass an examination on the correct handling of weapons as well as a test on legislation on the use of firearms” (Swiss Embassy). Consequently, such examinations and testing result in a rate of death by firearms of 5.31 out of 100,000 people (Carter). A total freedom on guns cannot stand alone, but must be accompanied by the willingness to accept and the determination to learn the proper use of firearms by the American public.

• An unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance;

The other restrictions constraining the individual to have the firearm, where in his presidential campaign Bill Bradley supports the limitation of buyers to one firearm per month (Bradley). Another potential restriction consists of restricting the gun ownership of the individual to how much skill and training the person possesses. By placing restrictions on the individual buying the gun, a threat of the firearm falling in the wrong hands decreases.

On the opposite side of the spectrum as banning guns, resides the option of letting the community take responsibility for themselves by avowing a total freedom of guns. A widely accepted interpretation of the second Amendment of the Constitution incorporates the people’s right, over the state’s, to possess firearms. The reasoning arises from the individual’s need to protect oneself in life-threatening situations.

• Renounced his or her United States citizenship;

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