New Missouri Gun Law irrational, dangerous

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New Missouri Gun Law irrational, dangerous

Natalie O'Dell, Staff Writer

A new law regarding gun control took effect at the beginning of this year.  This makes it so that you do not need a license or background check to buy a gun.  All you need is a criminal background check to purchase a deadly weapon.

Allowing people to own a gun without proper training and confirmation just breaks the laws of common sense, because you can easily kill someone with it, even accidentally. Missouri also ranks eleventh in crime, so this definitely has potential to make our bad situation worse. However, the crime rates of our own city are through the roof, consistently ranking in the top five list for most dangerous cities. A gun law that allows any adult to a gun will be very likely to make them even worse.

Guns can also be dangerous in the hands of not only criminals, but people who have no intentions of wrongdoing.  We are all humans, meaning we all make mistakes, but if that mistake is made with a deadly weapon, it can cost people’s lives.  When you do not have the proper training it is likely that you will make a mistake and accidentally shoot things you don’t want to shoot or even people.

Many say that you need a gun to defend yourself.  It seems like a reasonable argument, especially for those living in high crime areas.  However, it may not be as useful as it seems on paper. Considering that you take the proper precautions of keeping your gun in a safe and keeping it unloaded, if we are being realistic, in order to defend yourself you’ll have to act fast.  Therefore, you probably won’t need a gun in that situation.

Many people refer to this law as “constitutional carry”.  This refers to the second amendment, which conservatives use frequently to defend open carry.  However, this is not the case.  The second amendment of the United States actually states “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This means that militias can bear arms, not individuals.  Many people use the last part of that amendment as an excuse for disregarding common sense gun safety laws.

Another argument frequently used is that people need guns for hunting.  As much as I don’t understand why killing innocent animals for recreation can be such a staple to people’s lives, I acknowledge that not everyone sees it from my perspective.  However, it still isn’t a valid argument, because the removal of this law wouldn’t stop them from hunting.  Most hunters have training.  Therefore, they could still rightfully own a gun without this new law.

Two similar arguments people often use is “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” and “guns are tools.  It depends on the person using it.” The first is true, but that still doesn’t mean that it is perfectly safe for everyone to have one, because without guns, it is much harder for a person to shoot someone.  Now you might think “well there still is the background check”.  That is true, and it is a good thing.  However, just because someone doesn’t have a criminal record, that doesn’t mean they won’t commit crimes in the future.  On to the second argument, guns are a tool, but, like it or not, they are tools for killing.  You can’t escape that fact.  As such, it only makes sense to put strict regulations on them.

This new law makes it all too easy for a gun to get in the wrong hands, whether that’s a criminal to-be or a person who wants to own a gun but doesn’t know how to properly use them will vary, but just because this is the law now doesn’t mean it will be forever.  If we continue to make our voices heard about this nonsense law, then perhaps, eventually, it will change.


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