By Nathan Roberston
On Dec. 29, 2012, a 65-year-old woman with a life that
seemed ideal walked into a Texas gun store and bought a pistol. Then she walked
into the parking lot, got into her car and shot herself.
Harriet Deison, who was from a wealthy family and married to
a pastor, did not have to die. Because buying a gun was so easy, she was able
to commit suicide the same day she bought it.
Why do we make it so easy to get a deadly weapon in the
United States of America?
In most U.S. states, anyone can buy a gun without a
background check at a gun show or from an individual. That means someone with a
mental illness or a criminal record can easily buy a gun.
In most states, people can buy a gun without having to get a
license for it.
In most states, people can buy a gun without a waiting
period. Like Harriet Deison did.
So these deadly weapons are easily available to criminals, suicidal
people and mentally ill people. Why do we allow this to happen?
Just a few months ago we watched as 20 children and six
adults were gunned down in an elementary school by a mentally ill person. The
response was that we need more guns. What is wrong with our society?
You
may say the Second Amendment gives everyone a Constitutional right to own a
gun. The Second Amendment, which is written in an unclear way, seems to be
saying something about militias being armed, not individuals: “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.”
In 2010, 31,513 people
in the U.S. died from firearms. That’s 31,513 people who might not have died if
a gun had not been present. These numbers include 19,308 suicides, 11,015 homicides,
and 600 accidents.
Gun owners argue that
they are responsible people. We know that not everyone who owns a gun is a
responsible person. Neither is everyone who owns a car. We see irresponsible
drivers on our roads every day. The law requires us to obtain a license to
drive a car, so why don’t we license gun ownership?
Canada has seen gun
deaths drop dramatically since 1991, when the country enacted stricter laws. Canada requires gun owners to be licensed,
guns to be registered, and prohibits certain types of guns, including automatic
weapons.
Who needs an AK-47, an
Uzi, or an AR-15 assault rifle other than a member of the military fighting in
a war? These weapons should be banned.
Some argue that guns
protect us more than harm us. To them, I point out: two-thirds of accidental
gun deaths occur in the home. In 2008-2009, 5,740 children and teens were
killed by guns and 34,387 injured. If no guns were present, those children
would be alive and healthy today.
The bottom line is that
guns cause more harm than good. Why do we continue to allow tens of thousands
of people to die needlessly?
It will be too late for
Harriet Deison and her family and friends, but we need laws restricting
firearms passed as soon as possible.
Nathan Robertson is a
freelance writer.
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