In recent years, America has become synonymous with one unique tragedy: gun deaths. 

In many ways, the right to bear arms is a historical landmark of freedom in this country. However, it stands to reason that America has reached a point where an amendment written 232 years ago fails to provide a sufficient argument. Firearm homicide has risen, failing to show any signs of slowing down.

Despite this, voices defending lax gun laws have only grown louder. The politicization of the gun debate has gotten out of hand. Gun owner pride has mysteriously heightened alongside the casualty count.

Gun control is much more than forcibly removing guns from the hands of well-meaning American citizens. Reasonable laws, even for gun owners, are immediately shut down on the all-encompassing basis of the Second Amendment.

Utahns, nobody is coming for your gun, nor do they have to. It is time to open the conversation for a more nuanced debate on the future of gun control.

The Facts

Gun violence is the worst it has ever been. Miraculously, more people own guns than ever, debunking the common argument that more guns make us safer.  

In 2023, Utah saw 418 people die behind the barrel of a gun, and 195 more were wounded. This ranks the state comfortably at 46th in the nation for gun violence. This represents a 12% increase compared to what the state observed in 2012.  

While it is true that 82% of these deaths are from suicide, that hardly changes the argument in favor of guns. The claim that those who don’t have access to a firearm will find another way is unequivocally false. Suicide is often a spur-of-the-moment decision, making a gun the perfect mediator.  

This trend of gun violence is mirrored in the rest of the country. Guns are the leading cause of death for American teens and children, surpassing car accidents and diseases. Within a 32-day period, Utah saw three children unintentionally shot. This is not a random tragedy but a known defect of the current regulations surrounding gun control. In both 2023 and 2024, laws were proposed to tighten the rules regarding safe firearm storage. On both occasions, they were rejected under the guise of the Second Amendment.

Sure, people kill people, not guns. However, people with guns are undoubtedly more dangerous.  

Myth Busting 

The gun control debate is one rooted in misinformation. This isn’t entirely the fault of American gun owners, whose opinions are given to them directly from the gun lobby. Despite most Americans supporting both the right to a firearm and stricter policies, the gun lobby is the exception. It has successfully planted the idea that this debate is binary.

At the forefront of this position lies the National Rifle Association, an organization that conveniently profits from the sale of firearms. More specifically, they profit at the expense of American lives.

These myths have circulated to such an extent that many regard them as fact. In reality, guns are rarely used for personal protection, hardly reduce crime and have little to no impact on deterring a shooter from targeting a specific location. On top of that, gun laws have proven themselves to be effective in other instances. In states with stricter gun control, gun violence decreases.

The argument that gun laws fail to address guns obtained illegally also misses the mark. While it is true that many gun crimes involve a firearm obtained illegally, these guns are often purchased legally from a different source. Many argue that this is a mental health crisis, not a gun one. This is unanimously false. Homicides are rarely linked to an underlying mental illness.

Make The Sacrifice 

Gun owners are quick to categorize themselves as being entirely opposed to any form of gun control. It doesn’t have to be this way. Utah fails to meet even the most practical laws regarding gun control, none of which entail forcibly taking anybody’s gun. Background checks, barring those with violent offenses from carrying firearms and required training for gun purchases are all simple solutions proven to help curb gun violence.

The majority of gun owners would hardly be affected by these laws. At worst, it may create a minor inconvenience for those who have proven their ability to own a firearm safely. My question to gun owners is this: is a small sacrifice too much to ask if it has the potential to save somebody’s life? Your child’s life? 

Gun politics have blinded our natural rationale when it comes to weighing the benefits of either option. Committing oneself to a certain political camp and refusing to take a nuanced perspective hurts the lives of everyone.  

Coming to an Agreement 

The mental gymnastics we choose to continuously employ to convince ourselves that we are powerless in the face of gun violence is absurd. This country’s obsession with living up to the standard of American ideals has ultimately forsaken them entirely. The right to bear arms is undeniably a cornerstone of freedom, but the cost is simply too large to endure. 

There is nothing less American than turning a blind eye to fellow citizens who have lost their lives. There is nothing more insulting than the offering of thoughts and prayers rather than legislature that has proven to solve this issue.

Americans have grown complacent in this issue, accepting it as a fact of life. This claim is false — gun violence can be solved. For that to happen, gun owners must open up their minds to the possibilities of gun control.  

Nobody has to come for your gun to stop gun violence, all it takes is sacrificing some autonomy that others have abused in the past.

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