Gun control refers to the laws and regulations that take care of the rights and control on the ownership of firearms and the restrictions on them. In the US, gun control is a controversial conversation and brings up debates surrounding public safety and their rights. In 2021, a research poll found that around 53 percent of Americans believe gun laws should be more strict while 15 percent believe they should be less strict.
What Is The NRA?
NRA is short for National Rifle Association. The NRA was founded by 2 Civil War veterans in 1871 to “promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis”. It was founded to improve poor marksmanship and has now expanded its mandate to include safe ownership and use of all firearms and support for reasonable firearms legislation. Ever since the NRA has been the largest and most powerful gun rights and controls association in the US. It has more than 5 million members in it who are dedicated protectors of the Second Amendment.
The Second Amendment
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The Second Amendment of the US Constitution states, “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.” It was part of the Bill of Rights that was approved on December 15, 1791. This simple sentence has become a topic of passionate advocacy and intense political controversy in the last 30 years.
Why We Need Guns
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We live in a dangerous world. We are surrounded by violence and that cannot be denied. It is difficult to control how circumstances unfold in our lives but we can control how prepared we are for them and how we handle them. As the saying goes, “I would rather have a gun, and never need it than to need it and not have it.”
Not everyone who carries a gun carries it for the same purpose. Some people like to collect objects as a hobby. Most of us collect different things. It could be coins, baseball cards, or guns.
Hunting is a very crucial part of our culture. It has been for as long as we can travel back in time. And not everyone wants to hunt with their bows and arrows, some people prefer to use rifles as they are easier and make for more ethical kills.
Last but not least, owning firearms is our right. Failing to exercise our rights risks these rights being threatened. There will always be rotten apples in a bunch but we cannot ban all guns because criminals misuse a firearm to commit their crimes. They are not the representation of law abiding citizens.
Does The NRA Support Gun Rights?
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The National Rifle Association (NRA) has fought long and hard for practical and sensible gun laws aimed in the right direction. They work hard to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, the mentally unfit, drug addicts, and alcoholics. The NRA does not support the use of guns by these people but at the same time, they cannot deny the right to those who do not fall under these categories and want to own guns for their protection and safety. The NRA protects the rights of millions of Americans that are fully capable of safely using a gun and prefer to exercise the right to own a gun. The gun rights stated by the NRA are aimed directly at guns and not the misuse of guns.
The NRA is portrayed to be a negative organization that promotes violence when that is completely opposite from what they stand for. The main focus of the NRA is to:
- Protect and defend the Second Amendment.
- Teach firearm safety and responsibility.
- Teach safe hunting.
- Teach self-defense.
- Raise awareness of the issues that are significant to gun owners.
- Fight for the freedom and right to own a gun.
The NRA does not promote the use of guns, they promote the right to own a gun and use it safely. You can own a gun and not use it, or only use it for the right reasons. There is nothing wrong with owning a gun if it is used legally and responsibly.
Banning Assault Weapons
First and foremost, banning any kind of firearm will be a violation of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. Federal law regulates the import of foreign-made assault weapons to help and encourage local economies.
Secondly, if civilians were to hand over their firearms, mass chaos and destruction will take over. Most gang members, drug dealers, criminals, etc will probably not hand in their weapons which will ensure more deaths, violence, and crime with people not being able to defend themselves.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, it is understandable that guns can be scary and it is good to be cautious of things you don't understand but fear is mainly the lack of competence in dealing with something which is what the NRA helps with. It would be advisable for gun owners to at least keep their guns in travel-ready cases like pistol cases and rifle cases to keep them safe from anyone who might be unfamiliar with guns. By taking these simple precautions, we can help to reduce the fear and misunderstandings around guns.
Eliminating the use of guns from society will not completely remove the menace of mass shootings from society, people willing to such an extent can find other ways to do so, as seen by examples of serial killers in the past, who didn't need to use guns to spread fear and chaos through our great nation. The NRA helps citizens be competent and live without fear. The NRA is fighting a long battle to try and preserve the right to bear arms. It is not a privilege but a right to be able to defend yourself. The NRA believes in the rights of people and its core mission of education, training, and defense of gun rights.
1 comment
I think it has become increasingly clear that the NRA exists to perpetuate the NRA and the political influence and cash flow it represents for certain people. I wish that as a organization they were true to their stated values, but it has been many many years since that was true.