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Chris Haley

English 1201

Professor Cassel

26 May 2019

Gun Control

Every year my grandfather and I go hunting for deer. A larger group of us go pheasant

hunting together. For me the use of guns has only had one purpose, for sport. I understand that

the typical thought from someone who does not use firearms is that they are harmful. But to me

it has always been about the safety and responsibility of using one properly. At a young age I

was in cub scouts and shooting bb guns at pie pans at summer camp. Later those evolved to

small rifles shot at targets. I was put in a class to get my hunting license where we were drilled

how guns work and how to properly use them in the safest way. With this background I have

nothing but respect for a firearm because I understand what it is capable of. I have also seen the

communities of hunters who to a degree bond over them because of the sport it allows them to be

a part of.

So when talk of gun control really started to be raised I was a little confused why that

would be needed when most uses of guns and most owners used them very responsibly.

Currently I believe that the impact of taking away firearms would be bad because a ban would

take them away from the lawful owners. By taking them away from the responsible owners, it

does not solve the fact that those who wish to do harm with them will still have them and will

still do the harm to others. I do not see this as an effective solution to the problem of gun
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violence. I am aware of the general trends with gun violence and how affective it is but not the

specifics behind that. I do not believe that gun control is an effective way at ending gun violence.

I hope to learn the specific information about this topic. I also hope to understand why

the other viewpoint thinks it would be an effective solution. I imagine I will find information

about this topic from news outlets and library databases. What are the impacts of gun control and

how do they compare to the status quo with firearms?