Matt LaValle
Firearm Safety for Buyer’s
“...the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” (2nd Amendment right- U.S. Constitution), largely influences modern America. Although the Constitution states that this right is not to be limited or undermined, there should be more gun control in certain aspects, such as safety courses and general firearm education. Many people in Washington state are fearful of more strict regulations and requirements before purchasing a gun, and some people are simply unaware of the positive effects of firearm awareness.
Gun control and firearm safety is a very important subject when it comes to purchasing, owning, or just handling a firearm. When it comes to firearms, many liabilities may occur if a firearm is handled improperly due to ignorance, which is why certain gun control laws should be enacted. For example, in Washington state, there are almost no restrictions on purchase, registration, licensing, or permits on firearms with the exception of handguns (a required concealed carry permit but no class needed to obtain). It is extremely easy to purchase and own a gun or concealed carry permit. Although it is a right to the people to bear arms, there should be some requirements at the state level before an individual is to own a firearm. Of these requirements, a firearm safety course is most important.
I have shot and owned a variety of guns for seven years and have taken multiple firearm safety courses myself. In my opinion, many “accidental” shootings could be prevented if owners were simply educated about the potentially deadly weapon that they were improperly wielding. For example on February 27, 2015, a 3 year old boy, “. . .died after unintentionally shooting himself in the neck with a gun he found in his house” (Peters). And on March 1, 2015, another boy died after “unintentionally shooting himself with a gun he found stashed under a bed” (Peters). Both incidents could have been avoided through proper knowledge of storing a firearm. Scenarios like these would prevented if the owners themselves had the common sense and knowledge of not storing their weapons in such open places, especially around young curious children, or at least not storing the ammunition in or around the firearm. Some people keep loaded guns at home for protection, but proper storage, such as a safe, can be implemented if the owner is aware of the possible risk factors that come with easily accessible firearms and ammunition. That common sense and knowledge is exactly what a safety course can teach potential and future gun owners. Some may argue that a safety course isn’t going to make a difference and if they do, well then, they are just foolish to believe so.
As of 2006, the number of hunting incidents has declined to under ¼ the original number as a result of the required hunter’s education course to anyone ". . . born on or after January 1, 1972 who intend to buy a Washington hunting license" (WDFW). In the U.S. a total of about 3,800 people were killed by, “. . . unintentional shootings between 2005 and 2010” (Smartgunlaws.org). That number could have been significantly reduced if a safety course was required to every potential buyer for firearms of any type, which is exactly why our country should enact such a law.
An individual may say something along the lines of “guns kill people!” or “simply banning guns completely will prevent all shootings of any kind”. In my opinion, they are mistaken. As a matter of fact, “...a study conducted at Harvard [University] found that the more guns a nation has, the less crime it tends to have” (Michael Snyder - American Dream). To me, banning guns is a way of making people more vulnerable to becoming victims of criminals because it provokes the fear of getting shot. If a criminal knows that, then he or she is going to have the advantage when it comes to doing what they say. “The places with the highest crime rates are the major cities where strict gun control laws have been passed” (Snyder), and if you believe that police are always going to serve and protect in an environment like that, think again, “...police are so overwhelmed that they have announced that they simply won’t even bother responding to certain kinds of crime anymore” (Snyder). So if you think a gun ban approach to gun control is going to solve homicide, “accidents”, and crime then you might as well wave a white flag to everyone saying, “Hey, come break into my home and steal all my stuff”. Laws which ban certain things will not make it go away. For example, crystal meth is extremely illegal in all forms, but methamphetamines continue to be widely used and distributed. In the end, the “bad guys” are going to be the ones who continue to carry and abuse, and the “good guys” who choose to own guns for recreational or safety purposes have the intention to use their guns in a safe and responsible manner. Educating the public will inform the majority of “good” gun owners to use their guns in the most responsible way.
In conclusion, gun control should be enforced in the form of education and awareness of firearms, not fear tactics. My personal proposition would be to exercise safe handling techniques and to require mandatory safety classes to anyone who wishes to purchase a firearm and or a concealed carry permit. The only thing more dangerous than an attacker is an uneducated carrier. Uneducated carriers may improperly handle a firearm in the simplest of ways, such as putting their finger on the trigger whilst picking up the gun, storing the gun in overly accessible places, not wearing proper ear or eye protection, looking down the barrel, not checking if the gun is loaded, not checking the safety, and so many other potentially fatal mistakes. It is not only a hazard to oneself, but also others. Therefore, if everybody who bought a firearm went through some kind of basic pistol course, or basic firearms course, the country could be a more confident and safe place to live.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.41 (2015) - Washington State Legislature chapter 9.41 RCW Firearms and Dangerous Weapons Laws
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/03/three_children_shot_in_houston_these_weren_t_accidents_they_were_the_result.html (2015)- Justin Peters - slate.com - child incidents
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/ - WDFW Hunters Education
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/hunting_incidents.html - WDFW hunting lisences
http://ballotpedia.org/Washington_Universal_Background_Checks_for_Gun_Purchases,_Initiative_594_%282014%29 (2014)- initiative 594 Washington Universal Background checks for gun purchases
http://www.infowars.com/18-little-known-gun-facts-that-prove-that-guns-make-us-safer/ (2015)- Michael Snyder
http://smartgunlaws.org/gun-deaths-and-injuries-statistics/ (2015)- Michael Snyder “American Dream”
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