Guns & Gun Control

This may seem unrelated to what I normally talk about (maybe not...idk?!), but I have a background in this kind of stuff. I am fascinated with law and crime. I majored in sociology and criminal justice, with a brief stint as a political science major. This is my jam. I recently saw a "20/20" special on guns. And it made me feel conflicted. I know this is a controversial topic, but I'd like to share my opinions and encourage others to in the comments. Talking about these issues and being educated are VERY important.

I understand guns are dangerous. I don't know how to shoot a gun so I don't touch them. I'd like to learn for my own protection, but I also am wary to take on that responsibility. However, I highly support peoples' right to have guns. Not all people. And obviously within reason. If you are or have been a criminal, then you shouldn't be allowed to own a gun. If you're mentally unstable, you shouldn't have a gun. A background check, a gun safety class, a permit...all of these things are reasonable. And there is no reason we need military grade assault weapons for protection or hunting. There are limits. Making guns illegal or super hard to get isn't going to matter to the people who really want them. Drugs are illegal, but that surely doesn't stop drug addicts from getting them. We can only do so much. Guns DON'T kill people. PEOPLE kill people. And they do it without guns, too. Having protection in the event someone breaks into our house could be

I don't want to get in to the second amendment because I think time has changed a lot of things and it's not necessarily relevant. I don't think we will have to form a militia to protect our country. We have the army and other branches to deal with that. I don't think we will ever need it on a smaller scale that everyday people will have to form a makeshift army. So it has nothing to do with my argument.

I grew up the daughter of a big hunter. My dad always had guns in the house. I'm sure they were locked up, but even if they hadn't been, I knew better. I was taught gun safety. I was taught not to touch a gun. We weren't even allowed to play with fake guns and if we were around kids who had fake guns, we sure as heck knew you didn't point even a fake gun at someone. This is where parents come in. Keep your guns locked up. And not loaded. Teach your kids the danger of them. Even if you don't have kids, LOCK your guns up. Just be smart. It's better to be overly cautious and safe than sorry.

Another big problem with this issue, is the way violence is used as GAMES! Children play first person shooter video games like it's no big deal. The goal is to KILL people. Parents should NOT allow kids too young to fully comprehend death to even be around that kind of violence. Ratings are there for a reason. But the bigger problem is WHY is that entertainment for us? Wanting to grow up to be a military member and protect our country is great, but playing killing games isn't the best way to go about that. I'm not saying playing violent video games makes kids want to play with guns. It may, but it may not. I'm saying violence as entertainment is a strange concept.

Of course, accidents WILL happen. It's sad, but inevitable. That's why education is so important. There will be accidents in so many other areas, too. Driving, extreme weather, work, drugs/alcohol, allergies....so many other areas of life create accidents we can't necessarily prevent. It makes me incredibly sad to know people- especially kids- get hurt by guns, but it's not the guns' fault. It's usually somebody being careless about their gun that leads to an accident. Some sort of regulation doesn't bother me, but an extreme amount because of the negligence of others is not fair.