Accessibility to Guns: Lets Talk About It

This is the copy of my article published in Collegiate Times at Virginia Tech. To read the article in collegiate times, click here.

After the tragic incident of shooting at Virginia Tech, I heard lots of views in support and against of "Gun Control". As an international student at Virginia Tech, my view is affected by this incident as well as my background. In any case, I think whenever the discussions regarding Gun Control starts, people try to be in support or against of it, the focus of discussion moves to counter other person’s argument and the main issue stays unresolved. While still shocked with the incident, I was listening to a radio show where the host very aggressively said that, if more people had gun in the campus, they would have shot the killer before he could wreak such havoc. Such kind of argument influenced by one line of thought without proper analysis is extremely disturbing.

The major point to discuss here is that Gun Control doesn't mean snatching the gun from every person who has it, it rather means that how to make sure that a weapon like gun which can kill so many people stay with only those people who really have concerns regarding their safety. The current gun law allows the citizens to bear arms for their safety and to fight against tyrannical government. Most of us know today that citizens cannot fight their government today with the kind of weapons citizens can get hold of. As far as safety is concerned, it is a valid point.

Now, to be able to drive a vehicle, a person has to demonstrate his/her ability to handle the car by theoretical and practical tests, because improper use of a vehicle can be dangerous to the person using it and other on the road as well. However, to get the gun you just need a state ID, and you do not have to demonstrate your ability to handle the gun. To get a hunting license, a person needs to pass a test, but to get a gun you do not need to go through any of these formalities. As far as background checks are considered, they are conducted only if you buy gun from a shop, but not if you buy it from a gun fair or from your neighbor.

The guns for hunting and guns for safety should be segregated completely and also the kind of ammunition that can be used in each case. The next point of talk is the availability of ammunition. You all have the idea of the amount of ammunition the killer could buy for this Virginia Tech rampage. For safety, the amount of ammunition needs to be rationed, and extra ammunition should only be supplied if approved by the police. For shooting practice, a person should be able to buy ammunition only at the shooting range and unused ammunition must be returned back to the facility where shooting practice is done.

Now when somebody says that everybody should have gun and that way the society will be safe is a baseless argument Picture this, how safe all the international community and small kids (who cannot have gun, legally) will feel if everybody in Blacksburg had a gun. Now extrapolate it for the whole country. There is a brawl in downtown every other weekend, what would the end result be if everybody had a gun? Personally, I would not like to carry a gun, because I will have to take care of gun's safety more than the safety it will provide to me.

There could be several more arguments in support and against of gun law, but most of the argument are manifestation of people's personal opinion and experience. I think its time to move towards a more non-violent society and enjoy the comfort of safety in non-violence.

I think this is the right time to watch an old movie "Gandhi."

Anurag