by Eric J Taylor

Created on: January 06, 2011   Last Updated: January 08, 2011

The Virginia Tech shooting has nothing to do with this subject.  There are two simple questions.  The first is “Should the United States of America ban firearms?”  The second is “Will the United States of America ban firearms?”

Firstly one must consider, what is the purpose of a firearm?  That can be simply answered.  A firearm has a single purpose and that is to kill or maim  another living being, either human or animal.  Although they may also be used to shoot at a target, they were designed for no other purpose.

It must be accepted that in some situations, firearms are a useful tool of trade, being used by farmers to be able to kill injured livestock and in some cases, vermin.  I can personally see no purpose for owning a weapon.

Living in Australia, I believe I reside in one of the most civilised countries on Earth.  Handguns are generally banned, as are rapid-fire weapons. Some rifles are permitted, but firearms must be stored in a secure environment.  Gun club members can own a range of weapons, but these must be securely stored.  The control on the types of weapons than can be owned and how they are owned is very restrictive.  I feel quite safe in Australia and have no desire to travel to a country where open gun ownership is permitted.  I am far too terrified to go to such a place.  I would not trust anybody.

Based upon the security I feel within Australia and the purpose for which firearms were made, I would suggest that the United States of America should ban firearms.

I cannot see within my lifetime the population of the United States allowing firearms to be banned.  The in-bread culture of the United States has an obsession with them.  The population believes they have a right to possess arms.  I believe that suggests that the population has a belief, maybe a sub-conscious one, that they are permitted to inflict death or injury upon others that do not agree with them.  That culture is so strong that anyone, whether from within the United States or from another country, is treated with contempt and scorn if they suggest otherwise.  I see the debate as already lost.

The only way I can see the culture within the United States changing is if the population of the country begin to ask why other democratic countries are different and why large numbers of the population of those other countries view the population of the United States quite cynically.  It has nothing to do with the wealth of the United States.  It is that the rest of the world does not understand its culture.

Should the United States of America ban firearms? Yes.
Will the United States of America ban firearms? No.

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