Seeking common ground on gun control controversy

Welcome to another installment of Better Bickering, the series in which I take a popular controversial issue and analyze it from each side of the issue. Through this process I hope we can all learn to understand opposing perspectives better, and that we can all strive to argue to learn instead of to win.

In this installment I will be looking at the issue of gun control, obviously an extremely divisive issue in the US especially following the recent shootings in Utah and at Annunciation Catholic School. In discussing this issue, the thing I have found that everyone can agree to is that it is abhorrent that there are children being shot anywhere in our country, let alone in their schools, so this is where our discussion begins.

Now Archie believes that we should ban all guns, that no civilian in the US should be allowed to own a firearm. He says that the only thing guns encourage is further shootings and that you can’t fight fire with fire. If Archie had his way, every gun in the country in non-military or law enforcement hands would be handed over to the government in mandatory buy backs and donations to be destroyed. In response to the wish that some people want to own guns for home defense, Archie says that the firearms are either locked away enough as to make their presence useless in a self-defense scenario, or they are in a vulnerable spot accessible by anyone who gains entry into a home, or by children and young people in the space.

Now George understands why Archie wants guns banned, but he has two things to say in response to him. In the US there is a long tradition of hunting, and a ban on guns would eliminate that tradition. George says that people should have a right to own guns to continue this popular pastime, and more so that some automatic or semi-automatic weapons can be safely allowed for this use. Additionally, George explains that he finds it difficult to trust law enforcement, especially with how controversial they are right now. He feels that allowing civilians to carry guns acts as a great equalizer between the populace and a potentially corrupt law enforcement system. Guns deter law enforcement agents from engaging in violence because they are on a more equal playing field with the public.

Archie admits that he has no issue with hunting and doesn’t want to take that activity away, but he disagrees about the law enforcement deterrent. He understands being distrustful of law enforcement, there do seem to be some systemic issues with them, but he thinks that the presence of guns might drive law enforcement agents to act out of fear more often, which could result in increased police violence and brutality.

At this point they both return to the subject of stopping gun violence and the shooting of innocent people. Both Archie and George agree that much stricter requirements ought to be in place to buy guns, something like the training required to drive a car. This training would better prepare people for the tool that they are getting, and it would weed out people more likely to commit violence with guns such as people suffering from untreated mental health conditions, those harboring lots of anger, or those harboring deep fear of other sects of society. George suggests that one thing the country could try was if a few states that are largely in favor of strict gun control passed strict gun bans, the country could observe if it would have a notable effect on the levels of gun violence in those states. Archie agrees and says that is an excellent idea and adds that he thinks the country just needs to start rapidly trying as many potential fixes as possible to combat gun violence until we find one that works.

At this point George and Archie shake hands, admit that neither of them has the answers to this extremely complicated problem, and then go about their merry ways, promising to talk again some other time. I hope everyone has left this analysis with a better understanding of arguments for and against gun control. It is a complex issue that none of us are going to solve by yelling at each other. If we instead collaborate and approach the issue with understanding and empathy in mind, maybe we can undo the damage this violence has wrought on our country.

If you want to send in your opinions about gun control or suggest issues you want to see evaluated in a future installment please email any and all thoughts to me at wflannery001@csbsju.edu I thank you all for reading and I hope you will all strive to argue to learn rather than to win.