Guns In The Home Essay

Women need to give up the notion that they are inherently vulnerable and passive victims of attacks by strangers and instead assume primary responsibility for their safety by becoming strong and potentially lethal. This is Leslie Marmon Silko’s dominant idea in her essay “In the Combat Zone.” The author draws attention to the vulnerability felt by the majority of women and goes on to make a case for guns and how it provides women with confidence and the power to fend off attackers or would-be attackers. The author’s stance on this subject is quite predictable considering her background and upbringing. She was raised in an environment where children were given responsibilities at an early age. Therefore, it is no surprise that at age seven her father armed and trained her on how to safely handle guns and she was equally saddled with the responsibility of her safety. Her upbringing is however not reflective of the larger population of women in the United States. While the use of guns for self-defence might come across as a fair argument at first glance, a critical examination of the author’s suggestion would expose some short-comings to her argument.

Households with children and guns can be an extremely dangerous situation. If the child is told simply to not touch the gun then his/her first reaction will be curiosity about it. Teach children about firearms and always practice gun safety rules. The National Rifle Association gives tips on proper safe gun handling, "always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction, always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use" (Connors 1). If a parent talks to the child about guns and proper gun safety then the child is less likely to be involved in gun violence. Educating

Studies have demonstrated, repeatedly, that homes with a firearm are no safer than those without guns. In fact, the sight of a gun during an intrusion is cause for action, deterring thought, which could make all the difference between life and unnecessary death. Besides which, most gun murders at home aren 't perpetrated by an intruder, but rather by a family member or an acquaintance.

* Guns kept in the home were 22 times more likely to be used in unintentional shootings, murder or assault, and suicide attempts than in an act of self-defense.

Most people would think that having a assault weapon will help protect their family. It will but it will cause even more problems because the person that killed the person breaking into you home that person will get in trouble because if he did not do anything first then it would not be self defense so that person will go to jail for murder.

unarmed residence. Having a firearm might not only scare a rapist or a home invader

The most common reason why people argue that they need to have a gun is for safety, so they can protect themselves against burglars. If a burglar would come into your house, you would have a better chance defending yourself and your family with a gun, than if you did not have a gun. The number of concealed weapon owners is at an all time high. In comparison the number of homicides had drastically decreased alongside the growing rate of legal concealed weapons. This number had been nearly cut in half in the past 20 years(Goldberg).

Dr. Jeffrey A. Roth states that “research has shown that a gun kept in the home is 43 times more likely to kill a member of the household, or friend, than an intruder. The use of a firearm to resist a violent assault actually increases the victim's risk of injury and death.”

According to Ken Corbett, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the NYU and child psychologist states students will be afraid when violent force is upheld as safety. Ken explains, “I have a patient who recalls his silent car rides with his father who kept two guns under the driver’s seat. Silently the boy watched, on guard, even though nothing ever happened.” The presence of guns will silence the necessary talk of violence, childhood rivalries, and bullying.

What (or who) determines if a home invader lives or dies? In his essay “The Lines Are Blurry,” Kevin Michalowski discusses some of the basic challenges that one comes up against when involved in a personal defense situation. Because the laws concerning guns are so fuzzy, “nothing is set in stone.” Michalowski discusses the difference between “legal” and “right” in an effort to show his audience the issues in this area. He notes that the laws that are currently in place to punish violent criminals are the same laws that are being used against home defense cases. Although Michalowski has some good points, he wrongly asserts that all home defense shootings are necessary while at the same time downplaying

A highly recommended solution to gun violence is gun safety at home. Most parents teach their children how to handle guns as a way of self-defense, but what most parents don’t understand

Concealed weapons can make society safe, for example if someone breaks into another person’s house and that person is unarmed, the person who broke in could harm and take valuable possessions, whereas a person who is armed can defend their home and ward off burglars. F. The protection of home with a concealed weapon is an effective way to keep home invaders away, and it is a lot cheaper than a home security system. G. In Georgia there was a woman sitting her attic with her two children, while her husband was on the phone with her and a 911 dispatcher (He had two phones). There was a home invader with a crowbar in the couple’s house. The husband told his wife “Melinda, if he opens the door you shoot the gun”. Melinda was holding a loaded six-shot revolver. Suddenly the man, opened the door and found the woman and her children and as soon as he went to raise the crowbar to strike the woman, Melinda fired off shots into the man’s chest. H. Walton County Sheriff, Joe Chapman responded to the shooting and said that the incident was a life and Death situation and that the family had no other choice but to exercise her Second Amendment Right. I. Yes, Melinda had intent to harm this man, J. but the man was armed and was trespassing in her home with her two children. He also had intent to harm or even murder the woman and her two children. K. This woman was a perfect example of how firearms can be used in situations where there is danger

January 6, 2013. Loganville, Georgia. A 37 year old mother of twin 9 year olds was home when she noticed a suspicious man outside her home. He began ringing the doorbell incessantly and then tried gaining access to her home. She called her husband and he instructed her to take the kids, hide and call 911. In a panic she grabbed her kids and hid in a crawl space. As the intruder made his way in with a crow bar, the mother hid as quietly as she could. The intruder found them in the crawl space. His eyes met hers along with her .38 revolver. She fired all six rounds and then fled to safety with her children. You can only imagine if she did not have a firearm to protect her and her family how different the outcome might have been. This is why guns increase our safety and protect law abiding citizens.

What my father, and the others don’t know, is that a gun kept in a home is 22 times more likely to be used in an accidental shooting, suicide, or criminal assault, rather than be used in self-defense. That sure doesn’t make me feel safe as I lay down in bed at

2. It protects families and their property from intruders. You cannot defend your loved ones from an armed intruder if you are unarmed. Guns are used as self-defense and are needed whenever the police fail to provide the services of protection to the general public.