Will I Own a Gun?

This would be titled 'Do I Own a Gun?', but since I'm too young to legally own a gun (386 days to be exact) the title 'Would I own a gun?' will have to do. Anyway, this post is going to do less with answering this question and more with giving you the reasons behind the answer to this question. So, to answer the question, yes, when I am old enough to legally own a firearm I will not hesitate to buy one.

"Oh, so you must be a right-wing conservative who doesn't care about the victims who have been murdered by gun violence and hates everyone who tries to take away your 2nd amendment right."

That might be some people's answer after hearing a sixteen year old say he can't wait to own a firearm, and those people can think that all they want but they aren't going to be right. I don't want a gun so I can be cool, or feared. I don't want a gun so I can threaten people I don't like, or so I have the power to kill someone. My desire to own a firearm isn't because I think I'll be respected if I do. It isn't even myself I want the gun for. The only reason I want to own a gun is because of one, small word: LOVE.

There are many people in my life whom I cherish, whom I can't imagine my life without. These people, my family and friends, mean everything to me and if they are put in danger I want to be able to protect them. When I see breaking news of a school shooting or a massacre at a small church my heart aches for those who were mercilessly slaughtered by an individual whose sinful nature overtook him. When I think back to the Sandy Hook shooting and the children whose lives were taken before they even got to experience high school, college, marriage, and children. When I think of the many parents who, when giving their child their lunch and waving goodbye as they climbed onto the school bus, didn't have any idea they wouldn't hear their beloved child say "I love you" again, I cannot but feel for them as they will always ask themselves "Why couldn't I have been there to protect my child?" I am not a parent. I have no idea what a parent feels when their children go through pain and suffering, but I do know what love is, and I do know that I couldn't endure someone who I love losing thier life the way those children and teachers lost thiers on that harrowing day in Newtown, Connecticut.

That's why I want a gun. You might say I need to trust God to protect those I love. Well, I do trust God will protect me and those around me and that's exactly why I want a gun. God doesn't just put a forcefeild around us when we sleep at night. He uses the actions of people to protect people and He uses our firearms to protect the helpless.

A gun used rightly isn't a weopon meant to strike fear into others. A gun used rightly is meant to defend the helpless from the people who use guns to strike fear into others. Let me be clear. I don't like it when a person goes around town with a gun in a holster for everyone to see; that's not smart or mature. Openly carrying a firearm makes others feel fear not safety. Sherriff Andy Taylor from 'The Andy Griffith Show' explains it perfectly in this clip:

We need more gun owners like Andy Taylor, not more gun-control advocates like Hillary Clinton. What gun control does is makes it harder for law abiding gun owners to protect their family and friends and makes it easier for lawless criminals to get their way. So, again, yes, I will own a gun and If circumstance calls, if people I love are put in danger I will not be afraid to use my gun, even if it means ending someone's life.