Why Guns Should Be Illegal

Since this country was founded, it has always been a fundamental right to own a gun, but do americans not only have a legal right to own guns but a moral one as well? While the second amendment may have led up in 1791 when it was created, it should be altered to fit modern problems surrounding guns. Owning a gun is not a moral right, it is a privilege. An inherently dangerous weapon cannot be viewed as a bragging right or plaything. Gun laws in the United States need to be tightened, guns are no longer able to keep their worth and intent of safety and have been turned into a tool of mass destruction. While guns should not be outlawed completely the process that someone has to go through to own a firearm should be updated to meet current needs.

Their purpose is to harm or kill a target. For this reason we do not have a moral right to own a gun, we can earn the privilege of owning one. But we can not say that every american has a right to a weapon that's main purpose is to kill. While guns can be considered desirable for numerous reasons, including personal protection, recreational hunting, or intent to harm, guns themselves are inherently dangerous. Thinking here of philosopher LaFollette and his metaphore between cars and guns. When cars were first introduced there were large numbers of automobile related injuries and deaths. People still purchased cars even if they thought they were dangerous because the benefit was larger than the risk, but as years went on, features were installed to make them safer, such as seatbelts and airbags. Take that same principle and apply it to firearms, though they were dangerous people still bought them; however as time went on elements were added to guns to make them even more dangerous and accurate rather than safer. The rate of people buying these new super killers is alarming. This can show that now people are buying guns with the intent to harm rather than to protect, which is the entire purpose of the second amendment. While a decreased number of guns in the US may not decrease violent crimes, it can significantly decrease the damage done by those who are committing violent crimes. Guns are not the direct cause of violent crime and should not be viewed as such, guns should be seen as a means to a violent