Forget Gun Control, Control Gun Owners

Today in class, my teacher was showing us the documentary Bowling for Columbine. It’s a great movie, I'd recommend it. There was a segment about the NRA (National Rifle Association) and Charleton Heston. In case you didn’t know, Mr. Heston is the president of the NRA. The Columbine High School massacre occurred on April 20th. On April 30th, a mere 10 days later, the NRA held a huge meeting in Littleton, Colorado, a few miles from Columbine. Heston made a long speech about a number of things.

Here’s a question… what if Charleton Heston was shot? What if someone who hated the NRA shot him in the spine, paralyzing him from the waist down? Would he still support the NRA? Would he still fight for the second amendment, the right to bear arms? If you were paralyzed by a gunman, wouldn’t you think, “What if only there was better gun control, would this have happened?”

Of course, we need to protect and uphold our constitution; I’m not saying we shouldn't. When the constitution was written, were there ak47s? Were there assault rifles, sniper rifles, or even pipe bombs? Did people “pack heat” in the late 1700’s? I don’t think our founding fathers envisioned society today like this. Most guns owned nowadays are absolutely unnecessary. 200 years ago, guns weren’t owned for just protection, but also hunting. How many people that own guns actually go hunting? Do you think Puff Daddy and 50 Cent go hunting deer with their 9mm's? I doubt it.

People argue many credible, yet easily rebutted points for their right to bear arms. “What if an intruder breaks into my home? What if he threatens my kids?” First of all, the odds of the intruder harming you, when it is possible to avoid, is extremely small. If you don’t stand up with a baseball bat, they are less likely to harm anyone. “It’s part of the constitution, it’s my right.” Yes, I agree, it is your right. It’s also your right to tattoo yourself from head to toe with pictures of dead animals. Would you? Just because it is your right, doesn’t mean you have to do it. I believe owning guns should be a privilege, but that’s my opinion.

Tragedies like Columbine won’t stop. As more and more freedoms are given to us, more and more danger is present. I would like to ask anyone reading this article to think about what I’ve written. Does any of this make sense? An NRA meeting 10 days after the worst school shooting in American history? 12 students and 1 teacher die, and hundreds, if not thousands of people show up in the very same county, SUPPORTING guns? What is wrong with this picture? Take 10 minutes out of your day, and think. Where do other’s rights end, and mine begin? I don’t want everyone I meet in downtown to have a concealed pistol. Isn’t that MY right as a human being?