Gun control is not the problem, people are

An anonymous quote I read online said, "when it comes to self-defence, it is better to have
the power and not need it than to need it and not have it." Gun control has been a topic
widely debated upon by people, especially after America witnessed some of the most
repulsive mass murders aided by gun violence. To some, the second amendment is a
human right, the right to self-defence, a liberty every citizen deserves, and to deny them of it
would be like stripping the people of their basic fundamental rights. To others, the second
amendment does nothing but encourage gun violence, it is a means through which violence
becomes more prominent and persistent in society. 'Gun control is not the problem, people
are.' As convenient as it is to consider guns to be the source of the problem, it just simply
isn't true. Guns don't hurt people, people do. There seems to be a common
misunderstanding with the words 'firearm' or 'gun.' People seem to consider firearms to be
tools that inflict harm on others. On the contrary, I believe guns and firearms are tools meant
to protect oneself or others from danger. If firearms were meant to inflict harm on people
they wouldn't be provided to law enforcement as a means to protect the citizens from
potential threats. Jeff Cooper, a US Marine said, "If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the
intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither the
judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim". People don't commit
crimes because they have access to guns, people commit crimes because they want to. And
sometimes, when our system fails in protecting us, it is up to us to protect ourselves. Crime
rates aren't going to go down just because people don't have legal access to guns. Gun
control isn't going to stop people from killing if that's their primary motive. Guns are mere
tools just like cars, one can either use a car for transportation or use them to run over people
and cause harm. The purpose of the tool depends on the intentions of the person using it. If
people were more educated about guns and if everyone in possession of one used them
responsibly, there might be a lot fewer killings. Gun control isn't going to protect people from
acts of violence, it's just going to leave them more vulnerable to it. I'd like to conclude by
quoting Margaret Thatcher who once said, "For every idealistic peacemaker willing to
renounce his self-defence in favour of a weapons-free world, there is at least one warmaker
anxious to exploit the other's good intentions."