You have heard the saying, ‘If you must ask the question, you won’t understand the answer.’ An example is someone who has never served in the military, asking a veteran what it feels like to be in the military. There’s no way to relate it in words. Another example is the question, why do you own a gun? Fortunately, this is easier to answer. The next time someone asks you why you own a gun or several, here are some things you can tell them.
1. It Is My Right as An American
This is the first reason because, quite honestly, it is the only reason you need. Like voting and free speech, the right to own a firearm is guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States. Period. But like any right, certain groups will encroach upon it unless you exercise it. In other words, use it or lose it.
2. Protect Myself, My Family, and My Home
Self-defense is the number one reason people give when asked why they own a gun and with good cause. You cannot overstate the value of having a gun if an armed criminal, crazy, or terrorist assaults you. In many cases, the mere fact that an intended victim produced a gun was enough to drive the criminal off without a shot being fired. If the assailant is determined, being armed could very well be the only thing that preserves your life.
3. Make My Home, Community, and Country Safer
In my opinion, it is more honorable to be a defender than a victim. It is also better for society. In most cases, in states where a high proportion of law-abiding citizens are armed, violent crime rates have gone down, while cities with the strictest gun control laws have the highest violent crime rates. Private citizens use firearms to protect themselves two million times a year. Think of how many more crime victim statistics there would be if all those people had not been armed.
4. The Police Cannot Be Everywhere to Protect Me
The police work hard and do the best they can with limited budgets, inadequate manning levels, ungrateful city governments, and judges who release criminals back on the streets with unfortunate regularity, but in most cases, when seconds matter, they take minutes to arrive. Police cannot protect us; they can only investigate after the crime is over. The reality is that we are on our own, and if we are unarmed, we are nothing more than victims. Multiple polls have found that most Americans feel safer when they know the law-abiding citizens in their community are armed.
5. Preserve Freedom
The 2nd Amendment was included in the Constitution because the founding fathers were concerned that even the US government could someday overstep its bounds and tyrannize the American people. Richard Henry Lee said, “To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms.” If one looks at other countries where the people have lost their freedoms, the first step is usually to disarm the citizens. Some will point out that people like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Zedong are extreme examples, and this is true. But all one must do is look at Europe to see countries like Britain, where gun ownership is tightly controlled and people are currently arrested for speaking their minds, posting memes, and praying in public. As the saying goes, the Second Amendment protects the First.
6. Shooting Guns is Fun
It is an undeniable fact that shooting guns is fun. I have lost count of how many people I have taken shooting for the first time, and every one of them had fun. Guns are loud and powerful and scary to some people who have never shot one, and the look on someone’s face the first time they successfully tame the beast and hit the target is priceless. The more you shoot and the better you get, the more fun they are. Whether you are shooting clays, steel, paper targets, or just plinking, there is a sense of accomplishment in doing well.
7. Hunting/Feed My Family
After self-defense, hunting is the most practical reason to own a gun. Hunting with family and friends is a bonding experience that brings people closer together in a common endeavor. I have hunted since I was young, and whether it was hunting rabbits as a child, pheasants in the field, or deer hunting in the mountains, they are some of my happiest memories. Hunting requires thought, skill, and physical fitness, and it is a great opportunity to pass those skills along to the next generation. It also has the practical value of putting meat on the table. Finally, hunting is a proven method of wildlife management, and the revenue from hunting licenses funds wildlife departments around the country.
8. Criminals Have Guns
Criminals are defined as people who do not obey laws. Juvenile gang members, thugs, and repeat felony offenders do not acquire guns legally. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 80% of criminals obtain their firearms from illegal sources. Nor do they care if they are forbidden to possess them. They are not going to leave their gun at home because they are going to a gun-free zone. In fact, they look for places like that to find defenseless victims. If the bad guys have guns, then so should the good guys.
9. Guns Are Interesting
Guns are fascinating pieces of machinery. They come in every size and shape for every purpose and have an amazing developmental history. Every advancement from smoothbore matchlocks to high-tech battle rifles tells a story of necessity and creativity. If you are a gun person, you see guns as not only a tool but as works of engineering art to be admired and enjoyed.
10. Guns Are Part of American History
Firearms in the hands of brave and adventurous men and women were among the tools that built America. Our country was born as the result of a war and has been preserved by guns on multiple occasions. One could realistically argue that America would never have been settled at all if the pioneers had not been armed as they faced the dangers of the frontier. The history of America has been tied to firearms from the 1600s to the present day.
11. Building, Collecting, and Shooting Guns is a Great Hobby
Shooting sports and firearms collecting is a fascinating (and expensive) hobby. Americans have built their own guns throughout the history of our country, and it is still an enjoyable pastime. Completing a build or customizing a new gun to make it unique and enhance its performance trains both your mind and your hands, and restoring an old military or cowboy gun can provide hours of quiet enjoyment. Best of all, when you are finished, you can take your new baby out and send some rounds downrange.
12. To Be a Good Example
Thanks to the media, anti-2A groups, and unfamiliarity, many non-gun owners have a skewed impression of gun owners. Gun owners are not violent people looking for an opportunity to shoot someone or ignorant rednecks who bully their way through life. Gun owners come from all demographics of income, race, gender, and culture. Further, according to The Crime Prevention Research Center, concealed carry permit holders are the most law-abiding demographic in the United States. Set the example of being a perfectly normal member of society who owns a gun and is not a danger to anyone.
13. Pass On the American Tradition of Gun Ownership
As I mentioned, guns are a major part of American history, and most people will never forget the first time they shot one as a youngster. It would be a crime and a shame to let that tradition die. During World Wars I and II, a large proportion of recruits came from the country and were already excellent shots because of hunting and plinking, but that is not the case today. Many recruits today come from the city and have never handled a gun before getting to basic training. That is something we can change by introducing young people to safe, responsible shooting and eventually gun ownership.
14. Shooting Sports Build Confidence, Responsibility, and Concentration
Shooting is a perishable skill, and without practice your skills will decline. That means it takes perseverance and concentration to get good and stay that way, both of which are valuable skills in life. Shooting and handling guns well and safely also builds confidence and helps to develop a sense of responsibility. Every skill and trait you learn and develop through shooting sports will carry over into every aspect of life.
15. Because I Want To
I will end this discussion with this simple thought…I own guns because I want to. Unlike the reasoning of certain groups who feel we should not own a gun because they don’t want us to, the only real reason not to own a gun is if you don’t want to.
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