Blood Turns The Wheels Of Our Lives

Essay, Research Paper Blood Turns the Wheels of our Lives Guns have played an important role in the shaping of America, from the revolution in 1776 to the rampant crime of modern day. They have been used to fight two world wars and stop tyranny all across the earth. The ownership and usage of guns in America is beneficial because it advocates self defense, supports the battle against tyranny, and encourages psychological evolution in society. Crime in America does not fluctuate in accordance to guns and conceptual self defense needs to be more prolific and recognized. Crime has always taken place and will always take place, and criminals will always have guns; this reality allows people no choice except to understand and accept the role of guns. The most significant gun control laws of the twentieth century have had little affect on crime and death rates. The National Firearms Act of 1939 and the Gun Control Act of 1968 had absolutely no apparent affect on the constantly fluctuating death rates (GunTruths.com). In fact the murder rate rose significantly twelve years following the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GunTruths.com). Since 1900 the number of firearms in the country has constantly risen. However, the number of violent crimes caused by firearms has been in flux, without any regard to gun ownership. At the end of the twentieth century the greatest number of firearms are owned, yet the murder rate is at a thirty year low (GunTruths.com). In a study by the University of Chicago regarding the deterrence of crime because of handguns, it was shown that murder was reduced by 8.5 percent, rapes by 5 percent and aggravated assaults by 7 percent (GunTruths.com). Guns are an imperative part of survival and protection, without them we will be subject to fear and submission deriving from crime and the threat of violence. Tyranny has been a threat in America from it’s beginning years as a new nation to it’s substantiated position as a world power. When Great Britain ruled over what is now the United States, oppression and taxation without representation were common parts of people’s lives. The allowance of guns within colonial society enabled civilians to fight against Britain and to free themselves from civil exploitation. They decided that their future was not one of tyranny and oppression, but one of freedom and liberty. Firearms were the most used weapon in the American revolution and without the use of firearms the country in which we reside would not exist today (Zinn, p.76). Throughout the last two centuries guns have been used to protect freedom and people’s way of life. When the south succeeded from the union it was guns which were used to fight for their way of life. When blacks were oppressed in the mid twentieth century they turned to carrying guns for protection. The Black Panthers carried firearms for their own protection in the mid twentieth century. Today all around the world the American government battles against undemocratic and tyrannical forces using firearms. The use of guns against oppression is a very important concept for Americans to understand for it could be highly necessary someday. Americans could be faced with a decision to take up arms someday and die on their feet rather than live on their knees. Fatal gun accidents take place all around our nation. People have become sympathetic and weak to this situation, especially in regards to the deaths of young children. There were one-thousand-five hundred accidental deaths due to firearms in 1997 (FBI.gov). Only two-hundred and twenty of those deaths were children, which is only about fifteen percent of the total amount (FBI.gov). In many cases these accidents occur because an individual has acted irresponsibly with a firearm, in conclusion taking their own life. In other cases someone will act irresponsibly and take someone else’s life. In the first situation the person deserves to die for acting with a lack of intelligence. Society is better off without these potentially dangerous people. Their station in life could be one leading to the death or injuries of individuals around them. In the second situation the person’s life is given in order to teach the assailant and society the dangers of intellectually inferior people. These people who accidentally shoot another person should be regarded as inept and exemplified as a failure in society. The death of their victim is a martyr’s death, one that is looked upon as something that benefited society. The accidents that could potentially take place due to firearms are tragedies that further the psychological advancement of society. Firearms have affected America in many positive ways in regards to the fighting of oppressive forces, defending one’s self and evolving society psychologically. Guns will always be an element in our lives; if they are outlawed, then the only people who will have guns will be the criminals. Firearms have been an optimal tool in America, they ensure our freedom and they will play a large role in any major conflict in years to come. Guns allow us to rid ourselves of potentially negative parts of our society, such as irresponsible individuals. Everyone can benefit from the allowance of guns in our society, for if we don’t protect ourselves and create our own freedom, who’s going to do it for us?