Restrict, Don’t Prohibit

As a child, my father always kept a 9mm handgun under the bed. The firearm was always in his reach in case the time arose for him to use it. Our first house was decently small containing two bedrooms a living room and a kitchen. There was a screen door that was attached directly to my parents bedroom and was also the easiest door to unlock from the outside (not saying I ever tried to break in to my own house or anything). My bedroom was just across the hallway due to the fact that my parents may need to reach us quickly. My brother occupied the top bunk while I was in direct view of the screen door. This posed a lot of scary ideas, which included some thief breaking into our home and killing us all.

When I was about 3 years old, my fear had come true. It was about 11:35 that warm summer night. My father, in his overcautious thinking, listened to what seemed to be a tapping or wiggling of the door handle. At this point in time I had woken up due to my mother’s naturally loud voice asking my father where the noise was coming from. I watched as my father walked to the screen door and opened the blinds. To my whole family’s horror two men, who looked more like shadows than men, were standing there not realizing my dad had a shotgun aimed directly at the closest man’s forehead.

“Get the HELL off my property before I decide to pull the trigger!”, my father yelled. I’m guessing the closest shadow was about to peed himself. My father is a little over six foot and weighs close to two hundred and fifty pounds. He alone would probably seem a little intimidating but with the shotgun in hand he compares to a soldier prepared for battle. Eventually the two men found the sense to flee back to their vehicle and drive off into the dark.

From that point on in my life, I realized what a weapon was truly used for. Guns are a tool that can be utilized in many ways; in this instance, family protection. To all those who feel that guns should be banned, thrown away, or terminated, think about this: Humanity is stubborn in such a way that they will find a tool for any circumstance, whether that includes using it for normal reasons or combat. No single human is perfect. Is it truly worth the trouble trying to get rid of firearms when humanity is simply going to find another way of killing each other? Firearms are needed but are not a vital need for human survival. This I believe.