Ever since man has set foot upon this planet violence has been both the cause and solution to many of history's conflicts. However, it seems as time goes on more conflicts arise but appear to end quicker. The rise of technology has played a key role in the cause and duration of these conflicts. It went from sticks and stones to assault rifles and hand grenades. The gun has made a drastic change in the way people behave and react to certain problems. The gun in some ways has prevented crime and conflict. However, with the problems that are present in society, the gun has done nothing but made them more severe.
When wars and conflicts were settled through duels and swordfights, no one was afraid to walk down their own street at night or even during the day for that matter. However, once the world gave birth to the gun all lives and attitudes changed. It was the gun that brought fear from the battlefield into the home and community. A sword needed agility, strength, and awareness while a gun only needed a strong index finger. The gun brought new hope to criminals and paranoia to the innocent. .
Time only made it worse. The gun became more and more powerful and easier to use while people became more and more fearful knowing it was easier to die. People could no longer walk down the street without coming across the thought that at any moment chunks of hot lead could pour through their bodies. There was no such word as safety anymore when a gun was involved. A person couldn't fight back unless they had a gun as well and even then there was still little chance that one wasn't going to get hurt. One could not run away from the crosshairs of a gun when it only took little or no time for a bullet to catch up. It was these thoughts that brought feelings of hopelessness and entrapment in to the minds of the innocent.
However, the gun also brought some good effects on society. Once civilization knew how deadly a weapon so easy to use could be, people began to choose their battles more wisely.