Dissecting The Gun Debate

President Obama this week declared his intention to ban assault weapons and make background checks on those wanting to purchase guns more comprehensive.

In America the gun debate is a political issue. Those on the Right tend to be very vocal about citizens right to bear arms as stated in the second amendment to the American constitution. Republicans often claim those on the Left have no respect for the constitution.

Those on the Left reject this criticism. Few Democrats argue for a total ban on weapons. However they are critical of America’s National Rifle Association (NRA) and see it as a group with far too much influence and control on government. Broadly speaking, Democrats want to limit the availability of guns, hence Obama’s recommendations.

I still maintain (as I wrote here) that ultimately us Brits won’t get our heads completely around this important debate. But we can move beyond a simplistic “guns are bad, let’s ban them” attitude that shows complete ignorance of the real issues.

Britain and America are incredibly close in many ways. But when it comes to ‘gun culture’ we couldn’t be more different. We must keep this in mind when we think through political issues that are foreign to us.

I’ve chosen to focus on arguments for guns, plus short responses from the other side of the debate. The reason for this is I think among Brits there’s a lack of understanding of why Americans would want to own guns in the first place. If Brits understand just a little bit of why guns are so important to Americans, perhaps we can help move the debate forward, rather than writing off Americans as crazies and loonies (like I’ve seen so many people doing recently). Just because someone has a different strongly held opinion to you, doesn’t mean their an idiot. I had hoped this was common sense, but recent comments suggest otherwise…

Three Top Arguments FOR Guns, plus responses

1. The Constitution

For a lot of Americans the Constitutions is holy. It’s set apart and not to be messed with under any circumstances.

The second amendment says:  “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

This single sentence explains why in the eyes of many Americans, it is necessary for gun ownership to be legal: It’s seen as a law which allows America to be free and secure.

Response:

The initial response is often an emotional one: “How many more massacres does America have to endure before tighter restrictions are put in place? How many more lives need to be lost? What’s more important – saving lives or saving the constitution?”

The constitution has been changed before (hence the word “amendment”), and some argue that now is the time for it to be changed again. But most Americans don’t want to rip up the constitution. They are happy for some people to own guns.These people who advocate for tighter restrictions are desperate to find a way of preventing more massacres. Those such as Obama believe part of the answer lies in tighter legislation.

2.  Individual Protection

Why is there a “right to bear arms” in the first place? It’s because Americans want to be able to defend themselves.

Those on the Right tend to be sceptical of big government control in Washington. They would balk at some UK legislation (such as it being illegal to drive while using a mobile phone) which in their eyes limits the individual’s freedom.

This scepticism of authority structures results in a greater emphasis being placed on the individual to take care of themselves and not rely on institutions such as the police. How do you take care of yourself? You get a gun. These people rightly point out that if you get burgled, drawing a gun on the intruder is going to sort things out a lot quicker than dialling 911 and waiting for the cops to arrive.

Response:

Anti gun campaigners tend to have a lot more faith in authority structures. They would argue that America isn’t the Wild West anymore and would doubt the necessity of carrying a firearm 24/7 to protect you. For those who want to bring religion in, the argument here would be “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” (to quote Ghandi misunderstanding Jewish law). In other words you don’t stop violence and bad people by buying a gun, otherwise the cycle of violence in society becomes never-ending. “Those who live by the sword, die by the sword”.

3. National Protection

Talk to a gun rights activist long enough and this issue will come up. It sounds a little conspiracy theory-esq until you realise history is very much on their side.

The argument goes like this…We don’t know who is going to be elected to the White House next. Democracy doesn’t always work. If we end up with a dictatorship or a tyrant, we want to have the power to overthrow them. Owning a gun gives us that power.

Modern European history proves dictators can quickly rise to power – even in a democracy. As much as those on the Right dislike Obama, they aren’t concerned he’s going to turn into a Middle Eastern style dictator. “But who knows what the future holds?” gun rights activists say. These Americans would rather be safe than sorry. They’d rather be able to defend themselves but not need to than not be able to defend themselves when they do need to!

On a much smaller level, there’s the issue of crime. Gun rights activists argue that statistics show that the more guns there are, the less crime there is. “Why do you think gun stores never get robbed? They know someone will fire back!” one person said to me recently. It’s also true that mass shootings often happen where guns are completely banned – shopping malls, schools and cinemas. The argument goes that if guns weren’t banned in such places, it could a) act as a deterrent as b) if something terrible were to happen, people could respond by firing back.

Response: Few historians would argue against the premise that very bad people can work their way to the top of entire nations. What is disputed is whether citizens owning guns would be any real threat to a government in charge of one of the world’s most powerful armies.

As for crime, this is very much a battle of statistics. The more guns there are, the more gun deaths there are. But it’s also true to say the more guns there are, the less overall crime there is. No single statistic tells the whole story, as this helpful info-graphic states.