Editor’s Note: This mail bag post is in response to Monday’s Voice of the Pride topic about gun control.
I’m a person who is generally to the left in most major issues and in my political worldview; however, when it comes to the question of guns, I believe the government should limit our second amendment rights as little as possible.
Some believe that we should ban assault weapons, but most gun murders are done by handguns. Some think that guns should be outlawed altogether, but like drugs, if somebody feels the need to have it, they’ll seek it and most of the times, they find it with little to no trouble.
Gun stores should require background checks, but I believe that they should also require a gun license similar to a driver’s license. To obtain it, one should pass a safety exam and know how to properly use their gun, how to store their gun and basic laws about the gun. After that, the person should be allowed as many guns as they want.
I don’t think the amount of gun violence in the United States is a consequence of lax gun laws, but to something specific to our country. There are still dangerous places in the United States, specifically low-income neighborhoods and cities where the police aren’t always able or willing to protect people.
Given this, guns can be helpful and we should be able to own them without unneccesary government intervention.
— Steven Vaca, history and politcal science junior
