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“I feel mad. I feel mad because I had no idea that one guy with a gun could ruin my life so hard in six minutes. Ruin so many lives.”

This quote from the movie “The Fallout” exemplifies what harm could a gun do if it falls into the wrong hands, as it captures the pain and agony that survivors and families of victims feel. Over the years, mass shootings and gun violence has become deeply rooted in American culture. In fact, according to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), 321 people are shot a day in the USA, 111 of whom die. This has caused the everlasting debate between those who advocate for gun ownership and those who are against to rise. Both parties are concerned with individuals’ safety, which can only be fulfilled by implementing certain laws.

Proponents of gun ownership believe that it is their given right according to the second amendment, which guarantees the freedom to keep and bear arms. In addition, having a gun around gives them a sense of safety. Indeed, it could come in handy to intimidate or defend themselves against home invaders. Moreover, guns are as useful as kitchen knives to some provided that they use them to hunt.

Opponents, on the other hand, argue that banning ownership would lead to a decrease in gun-related crimes. In fact, studies show that the risk of accidents during spousal arguments increases by 500% with the presence of a gun. They also believe that streets would become safer; statistics stress that the occurrence of mass murders is much lower in countries where citizens are not allowed to own and carry weapons.

It appears that both parties disagree about gun ownership only to agree about ensuring the safety of individuals. Ways differ but the goal is one. To guarantee the achievement of this goal, guns should not be handed to deranged individuals. Therefore, psychological evaluation has to be compulsory for anyone who wants to own a gun. In addition, strict actions must be taken to prevent illegal firearm trafficking, such as mandatory reporting of gun thefts, banning assault-style weapons, and tracing the source of crime guns to eradicate them.

To sum up, the debate is persisting between proponents and opponents of gun ownership. Yet, both sides promote human safety which can be achieved by attacking the problem from its source: illegal firearm trafficking and mentally unstable people. Maybe it is high time to change the human-made amendments in order to prevent further heartbreaks and tragedies.

Wydad Madani

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida