Some counter arguments to gun control

I believe only certain handguns and certain hunting rifles (for sport) should be allowed. Also a maximum of 2 guns per household. What are some counter-arguments to gun control?

by Scott Watkins

Sounds good.

You are now at your local gun store shooting range and immediately figure out there are 3 types of guns: rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Uh oh. I have my first decision and I still don’t know anything. You ask, “I can only have 2 guns, which 2 are the best?” They would then ask something smart like, “best for what?” Being really new to this you don’t quite understand and ask “what do you mean?” Not wanting to say out loud, but thinking, I don’t want to kill anyone, what else do they do? Gun store guy says “Well, we have firearms for everything from sport shooting, home defense, concealed carry, hunting, and collectibles.” Uh oh. At least 5 categories and I can still only choose 2.

Being super smart you say “Which ones can do the most for what you get? (best bang for your buck- you now get to officially use this pun), Let's say home defense and range shooting, I am new to this so what will be the easiest guns for me to learn to shoot safely.” Gun store guy, “Ok, for home defense we recommend Glock 19, AR-15, or shotgun for new users” Wide-eyed and shocked you say “What? I do not want any fully automatic AR-15, I am not going to murder anyone” Ok, you decide to have restraint and rather than say that you say “Really the AR-15, aren’t those fully automatic assault rifles? I hear they are the most dangerous?” Once again you are showing restraint because you want to tell this guy all the horrible things you know about the AR-15, but decide you should listen first before you attack him, he doesn’t know what he is in for, but your trap is set!

Gun store guy, “Uh no not really, both my wife and my 12-year-old daughter can shoot one of these quite easily. This has about the lowest kick, that would be recoil, out of any of the rifles in the whole store. It’s a .223 which shoots a bullet that is nothing more than a high powered 22. It’s not fully automatic at all, none of the guns in this store are fully automatic, they have been illegal or highly regulated for years. It is semiautomatic which means one pull of the trigger equals one bullet fired. It’s lightweight, easy to customize, easy to shoot, holds 30 rounds standard in the magazine, and all around the most popular because of all of these features.” You’re not sure that sounds right so you point to a couple of wooden guns and ask about them. He replies “that’s a bolt action 30–06, It kicks way harder than the AR, they are a great deer hunting rifle. This other is a 12-gauge shotgun, it also kicks like a mule-like the –06, it is great for home defense and hunting both deer and duck.

A few more wooden gun explanations later and it seems the semi-auto is popular because it is, by far, the easiest to use, and really since you're not going to do anything but recreational shooting and possible home defense having 30 rounds in easy to load magazines seems better than constant reloading and having to use a bolt, lever, or pump like the other options. It also seems that when someone says “customize” they still don’t mean make fully automatic, as that is a waste of bullets, still illegal and has been for years, they mean you can put a flashlight on it or a forward grip so it makes it easier to control.

Hmmm… Seems that out of the long guns the AR may be a good choice as you don’t want to be kicked by a mule, and you know for sure your wife doesn't want to be hurt, and if a 12-year-old can manage it, it may be the right choice after all. What’s going on here? This is certainly not what you expected at all. “So let's look at these handguns,” he says, “This is a Glock 19 9mm. This is one of the most popular guns in the world, just like the AR-15. It is lightweight, holds 15 rounds, semi-auto, extremely reliable, completely customizable, and can be easily concealed carried. That is why so many police, military units, and civilians use these.”

He shows you a few more guns and you start to learn all sorts of things, and you are now intrigued and starting to understand what the fuss is all about from the “other side” of gun control. You realize that since you are a law-abiding citizen, with no intention of going on some murderous rampage, why should you be restricted from the guns that are the easiest to use, with the most features, for both you and your wife for home defense and some recreational shooting. The limiting capacity of bullets is only a slight annoyance as you can simply reload. So whether you have a 10 round magazine or 20+ doesn’t really mean anything except making a great gun design suffer from wasted space in the magazine. You figure out it's like putting gas in your car, you can choose a 10-gallon tank or a 20-gallon tank. The car works the same you just have to stop and fill up more often. So when given the option of better design, and being super smart, you say 20 gallons, yes, please.

Making or buying a fully automatic is already illegal or highly regulated, and very difficult to do, those wooden guns can do the same thing as the black guns, they just have fewer features, are often much more powerful and more difficult to use. The size, caliber, and capacity of guns depend on the user and intended use. Since you have limited yourself to only 2 guns for you and your wife (sorry adult kids) you have to choose wisely for both of you. You now have to make decisions based on her size and capabilities as well as yours because she is a foot smaller and more than 100 pounds difference between the two of you. (side note- this is the real-life scenario I am bringing into this)

The guys at the range then let you know that they have guns to rent and you should try before you buy to get a good idea of what’s what since you have no knowledge and want to learn. So you and your wife try out several based on their recommendations and realize this is the most fun you have had in years.

So what did you decide to do?

First, you fill out the mandatory Federal paperwork and pass the background check which is required, contrary to what CNN has told you when dealing with a Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer. That immediately closes that so-called “gun show loophole” you have heard about. Gun shop guy explains all that is when someone wants to sell their used gun to someone they do not have to get the Government involved for a person to person sale and this does happen at gun shows, but is really only about 1 out of hundreds of sales and could just as easily happen in your living room between you and your buddy that wants to sell his old used gun to you.

Then you end up buying an LWRC AR-15 with surefire light and laser combo for your wife! Because she can easily handle the recoil and doesn’t have to worry about reloading and not being able to see and acquire the target day or night at the range or home. You chose to go with the Glock 19 for yourself because of a Springfield 1911 45 cal. or the Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver may be a bit too much for you to start with. You realize you and your wife (purse) could conceal carry the Glock if you had to and your wife could also easily manage it as well. You are now going to enroll in the gun range beginner shooting class so you can properly understand firearm safety and basic shooting techniques. In the end, your wife, who also walked into all of this with no experience or knowledge, easily convinces you that the 2 gun rule is pretty silly, and now that she has figured out what a Sig Sauer P229 Legion and a Krebs Custom AC-18A2 is she is going shopping without you and you can keep the Glock and LWRC for yourself!

Now that you have actually educated yourself the right way, from the right people, I would like to ask you which 2 guns you would choose for me? Make, model, and caliber, and how did you come about your decision? Are you now asking questions like “well... I don’t know anything about you, your background, where you live, what you will be doing with them, how many people are in your household, etc… so how could I possibly make an educated decision?”

My sentiments exactly. This is why gun owners are inapt for infringement.

Furthermore and lastly, That “Tyrannical Government” stuff in the 2nd Amendment… would start with “mandatory buybacks”, or “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47”

Bibliography

Read More by Larene Spitler

• Principle #1 The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law
• Principle #2 - A free people cannot survive unless they remain virtuous and morally strong
• Principle #3 - The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders