A Different Perspective on Gun Control

First, some background.  I’m not a member of the NRA.  I do own a gun, but it’s never been fired.  In fact, I haven’t fired a gun since I went to summer camp when I was 12.

A trip to Switzerland after college convinced me that while guns are related to gun violence (duh), they are not the cause of gun violence.  In a Swiss train station I was surprised to see several men carrying assault rifles, and while I was out in the countryside, I heard gunshots.  I was told at the time that the men were simply going to target practice as part of their military service.  I did some research when I got home, and found out that Switzerland doesn't have a regular army, but that Swiss men are required to serve in the militia (National Guard).  To make it harder for an enemy to concur Switzerland, the men keep their weapons at home rather than keeping them in central armories that could be easily captured.  Therefore, many men in Switzerland have either an assault rifle or a handgun at home.  Despite the very high ownership of assault rifles and handguns, there is actually a very low incidence of gun crime in Switzerland.

Many people say that we should outlaw assault rifles because they don’t serve any useful purpose in normal life.  That’s true, but I believe that citizens should have a way to keep governments in check if they become oppressive.  I once heard that no oppressive governments allow citizens to own guns.  That may not be absolutely true, but I know that oppressive governments have a history of taking weapons away from their citizens.  Can assault rifles and hand guns stand up to modern weapons?  Not really, but the Vietnamese didn't have nearly the firepower that America had during the Vietnam War, and they prevailed.

I do believe in a waiting period to purchase firearms because I believe that waiting periods give people who attempt purchase a gun in anger time to calm down and think more rationally. (Yes, a person could stab another person in anger, but ask yourself, in a moment of anger would you be more likely to grab a knife from the kitchen and stab someone or to pull a gun out of a drawer and shoot them?)  On the other hand, I believe that while gun control laws will prevent law abiding citizens from purchasing guns, I know that there are enough guns in America that criminals will find a way to get guns despite gun control laws.