Gun Control...

Perhaps one of the most divisive issues facing our society today is the issue of gun control. Those left of center cry out for bans on everything from assault weapons to total ban on all guns. Those right of center demand their 2nd amendment Constitutional right to bear arms... so who is right, and who is wrong?
Let me start by saying I am not a gun owner, and aside from owing a BB gun I've never owned gun. I don't hunt, or shoot for pleasure, nor do I have any affiliations with the gun industry. I  have friends and relatives who own guns and staunchly defend their rights to them, and I have friends and relatives who are dead set against them. I am trying to view this controversy objectively and put forth an informed opinion.
With that said, I'm not going to bore you with statistics- they are well-documented and all over the internet. But this is what I've found... With shootings in Michigan, Dallas, Baton Rogue, et al, the focus of our MS media is on the need for gun control. Yet if we take the total deaths by all rifles, not just assault rifles,each year, they are far fewer than deaths causes by hand, by hammers or other blunt force instruments, by knives, or screwdrivers... we see the benefits of hammers and screwdrivers, so we don't scream for a ban on them, tho they be far deadlier to our population...
Further, it is well documented that societies than ban guns have far higher violent crime and death rates than those who do not ban guns. Even in the United States cities that ban guns show this trend, while cities allowing concealed carry have a far lower violent crime rate. Why? Clearly criminals are more apprehensive in a society that is armed. This is the exact opposite that those left of center falsely claim. Statistics don't lie... Personally, if I'm in a crowd and someone starts shooting, it would comfort me to know that there could be one or more people in that crowd who could stop a random, crazed shooter than having to wait for police to arrive, and have numerous more deaths occur in the meantime... just a thought...
In a broader sense though, what has history taught us about gun control? No one denies the existence of Hitler, nor the atrocities he inflicted on Jews and the world. What was the first thing Hitler demanded of Germany when he came to power? Total gun control. Everyone turn in your weapons and allow the State to protect you. He realized that to bend the people to his will he first needed to remove their power to resist. And look what happened. Are we to repeat history? I think not. The promise of security is never again worth the price of our freedom.
We've all heard the slogans, Guns don't kill people. People kill people." Or, "When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns". Those left of center decry these as false, yet they are grounded in truth. The truth is that those who are willing to violently break the law will find another means to create fear and enact their unlawful acts. Guns are a convenience for these people, and outlawing them will not force them to willingly relinquish them. Our issue isn't guns- it's the mindset of those wielding them. We need to focus on the social depravity that leads to these acts of violence. I'm all for background checks, mandatory classes on how to care and handle firearms, and registration of firearms. All are good ideas in themselves, and law abiding citizens would not be offended by them if allowed to keep their arms. However, lawbreakers will not, and do not, follow the law. We have many laws on the books regulating guns, yet most are not enforced. Instead of trying to force more regulations on the country wouldn't it make sense to first enforce those already on the books? And if those left of center just can't agree that this is a fair compromise then the way to change is through a Constitutional amendment repealing the second amendment. However, if they don't have the votes then it means they don't have the majority. And if you're in the minority in a free country, please learn to live peacefully with the majority, who want differently than you, or perhaps you become the problem...
Food for thought...