Gun Control and Human Freedom

I first want to express my condolences for all the victims and families of the recent shooting in Florida as well as all other innocent lives that have been taken by shootings in the past. Many people I speak with seem to become desensitized to these heinous acts of violence as they continue to happen all too often.

I myself do not particularly like guns as I have always been somewhat of a pacifist and tend to shy away from loud noises in general. I have never owned or even fired anything beyond a BB or pellet gun as a kid.

I remember shooting cans and other targets at about 13 years old when I found myself aiming at a nearby bird flying close to the ground. I didn't think my aim was good enough to hit a moving air born creature and I almost casually pulled the trigger as though I were in a video game.

I was shocked to see a ruffle of feathers as the bird collapsed in the tall grass of my parents' backyard. I ran up and watched in horror as the dying bird struggled to breathe. I yelled for my dad to see if he could help me save the life I had taken but he told me to shoot it again to end its suffering. This second shot felt sickeningly real as I felt the consequence of my initial choice to aim at a living being rather than a metal can.

This was one of the most painful and regretful experience of my life and it has helped me to stay away from guns and be quite wary of them and their power to end life with almost casual ease. If killing a bird was this painful and regretful for me, how could a person bring themselves to take the lives of 17 innocent people?

When gun violence occurs most citizens call the police who can legally respond with guns of their own.

How long before law enforcement arrives will vary in each case, meaning the shooter has a certain amount of time to act relatively unimpeded.

This of course changes if one or more people in the area have a firearm of their own as we remember from the tragic church shooting in Texas.

Certain school districts in Colorado and other states have opted to train and arm their teachers as a means of protecting studentsand hopefully preventing further school shootings.

Of course, many people demand stricter gun laws and governmental control over the possession and distribution of firearms in hopes of preventing weapons from falling into the wrong hands.

The picture at the top of this article alludes to one potential problem with any attempt to control the flow of firearms; 3D printers and other manufacturing technologies can enable savvy individuals to get around any such restrictions. This is a reality we must consider as technology continues to progress.

If a person is not legally allowed to purchase a firearm, should they also be banned from purchasing the means of creating them? How would the government regulate such a complicated situation with any efficacy?

Because most of us are good, law-abiding citizens who couldn't imagine perpetrating a violent act, it is difficult to imagine the psychological state of someone like the Florida school shooter.

If the AR-15 rifle that was used in this shooting were banned, would it stop someone like Nikolas Cruz from obtaining it or a similar weapon by any means necessary?

If all firearms were banned except for state use, would the hundreds of millions of guns in the United States simply vanish and no longer be a problem?

Clearly, making something illegal just expands the black market of weapons and creates new opportunities for criminals while removing rights from those who are responsible gun owners.

If a sign like the one below was seen outside more schools, how would that play into the considerations of a would-be shooter?

Similar Signs Seen Around Various US Schools

A sign saying, "No weapons allowed on school property" is great for the vast majority of people who do not intend any harm to begin with. For a mentally unstable shooter it may simply be letting him know that the chances of resistance to his violence will likely be minimal until law enforcement arrives.

The unfortunate and sobering reality is that as long as there are "bad guys with guns" society is going to look for good guys with guns to protect the innocent. Banning guns won't stop criminals from obtaining them just as making drugs illegal does not stop addicts from continuing to abuse them.

We as a society need to come together and really discuss these issues honestly and openly. It is so easy to get drawn in by different talking points but we all have the ability to do the research and draw our own conclusions.