Gun Control isn't the Answer

With the recent tragedy of the Virginia Tech Killings, more and more people in the world are asking for stricter laws restricting the availability of guns and tighter gun control. But the real questions is: is gun control really effective?

In America, a large number of the population own a gun licence that entitles them to purchase their own guns. The country is also famed to have the most gun violence in the world. Even in schools, students smuggle guns into the premises and turn them onto their classmates and teachers. There is no wonder people are calling for stricter gun control.

However, gun control is not as effective as you think. Many countries still continue to face problems of gun violence despite laws put in place to ban the possession of guns. Smuggling and the rise of the lucrative black market is one of the main reasons of this problem. It seems that for anything the government bans, there will always be a form of black market that will supply such goods to the one that offers the highest price. It has been this way for cigarettes, drug and even pirated video CDs; so why not guns. The truth is that even with more restrictions on gun ownership, there is no way to completely stamp out the problem of a black market and illegal peddling of goods.

Another fallback in gun control is that it encourages would-be criminals to use guns to rob or steal from people. With stricter gun control, people will be left defenceless against robbers armed with firearms. This is especially important in places where the security is thin and the crime rate is high. Without a weapon to defend oneself, the residents will become easy targets for robbers.

Most importantly, though, is that gun control is not nipping the problem in the bud. There are cases of gun violence where the brutality of the attacker is more due to mental instability rather than the possession of a gun. Consider this, would any sane person use a gun and attack and kill so many people just because he has a gun? The answer is obvious.

Most gun rampages are committed by mentally disturbed individuals that either have a undesirable family background or suffered from bad experiences. Such is the case of the Virginia Tech Killings where the mass murderer was said to have been mentally unstable during the shootings.

Even if we restrict the availability of guns, the problem will arise again as these psychologically unstable people will continue to use different methods to vent their frustrations. What we have to concentrate now is on how to deal with people and not trying to restrict gun ownership. Teachers and parents should help spot such problem cases and report them immediately. Counselling and psychiatric treatment should be administered to such cases before they erupt to violence. Hotlines and volunteer services should also be provided to help them cope with their problems.