Should people have the right to own firearms? Yes, provided you are of the age of majority and do not have a history of violent crime it should be legal for you to own a firearm.

But, legal ownership of such dangerous weapons should be accompanied by control. This role is usually taken up by the government and rightly so (if you don’t “trust” your government you can just piss off). For example, licensing of firearm owners is very important. And so are waiting periods for buying firearms, and other reasonable controls.

I also believe that precision shooting can be a enjoyable activity much like archery. And it can benefit the hobbyist with increased hand-eye coordination and patience among other things.

The problem I have is not with gun ownership, but gun culture. Specifically, I am against what I would call the protectionist culture that has emerged in some parts of the United States. There is this misguided notion that the only way you can adequately protect yourself is with a firearm.

Contrary to this belief, increased ownership of firearms for this use is not conducive to public safety. You are more likely to use your firearm to harm or even kill someone you know in the heat of the moment (e.g. argument) than use your firearm for protection. A comparison of murder rates between western countries will easily reveal the gulf between those with low gun control and high gun control (which is a reflection of the gun culture in the country).

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