It seems that nowadays guns represent danger more than safety. Because of the recent flur of shootings in the United States the media has been feeding off of all the events. Citizens of the U.S. has become reasonably more aware of the threat and poor usage of firearms in the country. Many people agree that guns are a risk and they should not be kept around children or untrained people.

But my mom has a different story. She got her first shotgun when she was only ten years old. I’m sure many think that that is just a reckless and unthinkable idea. But with the gun came rules, safety, and training. If anyone in her large family disobeyed the rules around guns, the punishment would be severe. Her dad made sure that he passed on his knowledge about firearms and explained in depth that guns are deadly and dangerous. This rarely happens anymore because not everyone can own a gun in the city and are able to teach their children. Her story does not heed one of the country’s major problems right now: Gun violence shatters families because they are too accessible to the wrong hands: the mentally ill, criminals and even children.

My story is a little different. I started to learn about guns at a very young age, maybe around six or seven. My parents, brother, and I would travel up to the family cabin and go on hikes in nature. Of course, nature fascinated me as a youngling, but I found shootings targets a little more exhilarating. But I couldn’t just pick up a rifle and shoot it, my parents showed me gun safety videos and explained it to me over, and over. By the thousandth time I’d heard about all the rules of gun safety my parents bought my brother and I a small BB gun. Over time I got a better understanding of how a gun would operate and how to be safe around it. Today, gun safety is an important part of my life, and should be part of everyone’s.

In my opinion, if a mentally stable citizen learns how to use a firearm and understands the dangers and safety around guns they should be allowed to own one. I’m not saying that everyone should own one. I am not saying that everybody needs to know

how to properly use a gun. I am simply stating that if more citizens in the United States knew about gun safety, they would be more conscientious and safe around them. This can help reduce the amount of gun violence that occurs in the U.S. on a daily basis.

By James Garvey