With an increase in violence, buying a gun for protection is a good idea/bad idea.

ANSWER

With an Increase in Violence, Buying a Gun for Protection is a Good/Bad Idea

Over the years, the number of individuals carrying guns in public places has increased in their vehicles and in person. Gun possession varies from someone with a job requiring a gun, a victim of crime, robbery victim, and individuals who believe they must depend on themselves for protection. Majority of individuals possessing a gun claim that it makes them feel safer (Gearhart, 242). This paper will focus on whether possession of a gun is a good or bad idea with increased violence. Possession of a gun for personal protection increases the likelihood of violence and crime since it affects how criminals and non-criminals have guns available for persona protection.

Arguments For

One reason why buying is a good idea is it helps save lives and protect oneself and others. Buying a gun for protection allows defensive gun use since gun-wielding victims are less likely to lose property, be injured, or be victims of crime than those who resist without weapons. Due to increased violence, protection has been a top priority (Stroebe, 1071). One of the biggest concerns is a youthful violent crime which has raised robbery, rape, sexual assault, and murder.

Property crimes have also been on the rise leading to the need for personal protection. Therefore, crime has been a local phenomenon due to gang activities and street crime activities. Considerably, most gun owners state that having a gun makes them feel much safer. Apart from personal protection, possessing a gun can assist in the protection of loved ones, colleagues, strangers, and friends (Gearhart, 242). Ideally, personal protection and those around are a significant concern due to the increased number of crimes and life-death situations.

A gun is essential in deterrence since firearms are used to defend against criminals. Considerably, the use of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence due to reduced injuries by law-abiding citizens with guns. For instance, the presence of a gun can scare away or frighten a criminal, thus lowering the likelihood of injury, losing property, and death (Lacombe, 2409). In the United States, one of the reasons for purchasing and owning a gun is the belief that it deters and reduces crime.

The rationale for this belief is connected to deterrence. The perception is that there is a threat of danger and harm from facing an individual with a gun, thus lowering criminal behaviors. Evidence from various studies has indicated that criminals fear armed victims as compared to police officers. They fear being captured, shot, and wounded. Therefore, buying a gun for protection acts as a deterrent to crime. Possessing a gun discourages the criminals from carrying out the crimes due to fears of prepared victims and facing armed victims.

Arguments Against

Buying guns for personal protection would increase the risk of gun violence due to more gun ownership. In the United States, firearm sales have spiked, followed by more mass shootings. Studies have shown that having a gun in homes has a higher odd that someone will be killed by an intimate acquaintance or a family member (Cook, 1372). Gun violence has been on the rise due to more possession of personal guns. This tragedy has impacted the lives of individuals all over the world. More than five hundred individuals have died from gun violence.

The mere presence of more firearms has made individuals feel threatened due to fears of gunfights and the long-term psychological impacts of gun violence. For instance, mass shootings lead to gun-shot injuries, which are life-changing due to their impact on long-term physical and mental health (Hemenway). Gun owners have a higher probability of shooting a family member as compared to an intruder. During mass shootings, armed civilians make the situation worse by confusing the first responders with the crime’s individuals.

Buying of guns for protection can lead to gun-related violence since guns can be passed through a chain of unregulated private transfers. Considerably, far too many firearms sales are allowed to continue without background, with the gun owners facing minimal needs to ensure that guns are stored and handled safely. The prevalence of civilian arms has been linked to increased violent crime (Cook, 1373). Private firearms can embolden criminals and make their encounters more lethal which means private possession of guns would increase violent crimes. Gun availability leads to robbery of lethal assets and commercial places on individuals that can ordinarily defend themselves against other weapons. Gun possession has also created an environment where individuals feel unsafe in public places such as concert venues, schools, churches, and cinemas, impacting their human rights to education, religion, and leisure (Cook, 1374).

Position

Buying a gun for protection is a bad idea due to the risks of possession of a gun at home and in public places. In homes with guns, there is a high possibility of an accidental shooting. In 2020, there were approximately 369 shootings by children in the U.S (American Academy of Pediatrics). Guns kept at home for personal protection end up in nonfatal and fatal accidental shootings, suicide attempts, and criminal assaults that are used to kill and injure in self-defense. Relatively, adolescents and kids are at a higher risk for suicide when there is a gun at home. Suicide rates among this population are four times higher compared to kids that live in homes without guns.

Gun ownership patterns have been linked to illegal gun transfers, which lead to gun violence among young offenders. Community gun violence increases due to the easy accessibility of guns (Siegel, 13). Serious young criminals have easy accessibility to guns when possession of private guns is made easy. On the other hand, possession of private guns tends to weaken the current gun laws. Most gun owners proceed to possess guns with minimal requirements to ensure guns are stored and handled safely. These gaps have created a weakness in gun laws making individuals vulnerable to gun violence. A surge in gun sales increases pressure on the gun control system and exacerbates its weakness.

Logical Fallacies

Logical fallacies are common errors in reasoning that undermine the reality of an argument. Arguments for buying a gun for personal protection are irrelevant points that lack evidence to back the importance of buying a gun. The two main logical fallacies identified in the arguments for buying a gun for protection include false analogy and Bandwagon fallacy. The false analogy is an argument that is based on a misleading comparison. For instance, the argument for buying a gun is that gun possession would save lives and property. However, guns cannot save lives since victims are involved in gunfights that will result in injuries and deaths. Additionally, possession of private guns will not solve gun-related crimes since guns are still sold to illegal purchasers.

A bandwagon fallacy appeals to the prejudices and beliefs of the crowd due to popular generalizations. Ideally, this gets one thinking something is right since everyone else thinks the same or does it. People believe that buying a gun for personal protection plays a significant role in saving lives, protecting property and loved ones. This has led to illegal and legal possession of firearms and a surge in gun sales. People also believe that private guns help in crime deterrence since most criminals fear approaching armed victims. However, criminals do not fear being captured, wounded, or shot. Carrying private guns does not discourage criminals from committing crimes or fearing prepared and armed victims.

Vagueness and Ambiguity

Vagueness entails a lack of clarity in meaning, while ambiguity is more than one clear meaning which makes it challenging to choose which meaning is intended. Understanding vagueness and ambiguity is critical since the factors that define defensive use lead to challenges in measuring its prevalence. Self-protection is one of the major reasons that individuals given for purchasing and carrying a gun. The social and personal benefits linked to the defensive gun are vague and ambiguous.

Most gun owners purchase guns since it offers them comfort. However, defensive gun use has also involved illegal possession and carrying, amounting to aggravated assault. The nature and extent of defensive gun use are ambiguous since civilians do not use firearms defensively. Most private gun owners have been involved in suicidal attempts, accidental killings, and criminal assaults. Studies have found that guns in homes are more often used to frighten intimates and hostile interactions between gun owners.

Having a gun for personal protection raises the expected costs for conducting crimes (Siegel, 13). Therefore, the idea that more guns reduce crime is vague since more firearms do not keep individuals safe. Studies have revealed that more guns have been linked to more crimes such as rapes, murders among others. Less research has shown that guns assist in reducing crimes.

Empirical Evidence

Siegel researched the link between gun ownership and homicide rates linked to a firearm in the United States (2099). The research indicated that gun ownership had been a predictor of homicide rates. States with higher gun possession have a large number of deaths that occur from firearm-related homicides. Firearms injuries are the major cause of death for American teens and children. Firearm murders have followed a particular pattern of events where one person acquires a firearm, and two or more individuals come within reach of the gun; a dispute leads into an attack that causes injury. The availability of a gun as a violent weapon means immediate availability during the occurrence of violence. Empirical study on guns and violence has led to significant findings that can enlighten policy decisions. Research has indicated higher rates of gun suicides in households that possess guns. Another study by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that in 2020, there were about 369 unintended shootings by children within the United States. The shootings led to 242 injuries and 142 deaths. Children are at a higher risk of suicidal attempts when there is a gun at home or even engage in school shootings.

Conclusion

In summation, buying a gun for protection is a bad idea due to the risk factors associated with possession of guns at home and in public places. The nature of defensive guns has been outweighed by risk factors such as accidental handgun deaths, suicidal attempts, and criminal assaults linked to possession of private guns. The personal and social benefits of buying a gun for protection have been overshadowed by gun violence and crime-related activities due to more possession of private firearms.

Works Cited

American Academy of Pediatrics. Guns in the Home- Healthy Children. 2021. Available at: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Handguns-in-the-Home.aspx

Cook, Philip J. “Thinking about gun violence.” Criminology & Public Policy 19.4 (2020): 1371-1393.

Gearhart, Michael C., et al. “Fear of crime, racial bias, and gun ownership.” Health & social work 44.4 (2019): 241-248.

Hemenway, David. Private guns, public health. University of Michigan Press, 2017.

Lacombe, Matthew J., Adam J. Howat, and Jacob E. Rothschild. “Gun ownership as a social identity: Estimating behavioral and attitudinal relationships.” Social Science Quarterly 100.6 (2019): 2408-2424.

Siegel, Michael, Craig S. Ross, and Charles King III. “The relationship between gun ownership and firearm homicide rates in the United States, 1981–2010.” American journal of public health 103.11 (2013): 2098-2105.

Siegel, Reva B., and Joseph Blocher. “Why regulate guns?.” The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 48.4_suppl (2020): 11-16.

Stroebe, Wolfgang, N. Pontus Leander, and Arie W. Kruglanski. “Is it a dangerous world out there? The motivational bases of American gun ownership.” Personality and social psychology bulletin 43.8 (2017): 1071-1085.