Do you own a gun at home?

Donia Alkaraki

Mrs. Shukairy

Honors Writing

October 27, 2013                            Do you own a gun at home?

                A lot of people may believe that they feel the need to be safe once they are in their household. They should know that they have the option to help and defend themselves and their families or loved ones when needed to. Some people believe that we shouldn’t be allowed to own a concealed weapon because of the risks at hand. Is it really that harmful? Some people would say “you should have a firearm for defense of everything you hold dear.” Having a gun or weapon of defense is a sense of safety to all the members of the household. It should be legal to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense because the world is not very safe because crime could happen to any person (famous or not) at any time (day or night), having a concealed weapon to defend yourself will give you a sense of safety.

                What happens in a person’s life is completely unexpected. Something could happen to a loved one and they may have never seen it coming.  In 2010the U.S the percentage of people who had a concealed weapon in their household was 40-45%. The percentage of adults that had a gun was 30-34%.  Nothing in the world is really guaranteed or predictable. You obviously cannot get a concealed weapon if you do not have the correct license for it. Firearms are generally classified into three broad types: handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Based on survey data from a 2000 study published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, U.S. civilians use guns to defend themselves and others from crime at least 989,883 times per year. The right to carry concealed handguns is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. In the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment to the Constitution reads: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Having a permit to carry a handgun at all times means protection for yourself and loved ones everywhere you go.

                Knowing that you have something to keep you safe in desperate times is really comforting. I remember one of my friend’sdad had a concealed weapon (with license of course) in the house. The mother of my friend was frightened at the weapon of defense in her household and immediately took a stand to her husband to get rid of it. She knew that it wasn’t safe for her daughter or her siblings to be around. The husband obeyed the orders told by his wife. An unexpected moment happened and their house was broken into. At the time they didn’t really have the best security system the house could offer. Once the burglars entered the house it was all complete chaos. The family of 5 was frightened because in the back of their minds they knew that they didn’t have a weapon of defense.  The burglars had their own weapon and they were ready to commit a crime. My friend soon was a witness of her father’s death. Even if an adult never needs to draw a concealed handgun for self-defense, a person may feel safer being armed and feel freer to go outside at night or in dangerous areas.Now imagine watching the face of a child that was forced to see the death of her father and knowing that they can do nothing about it. Imagine losing your children and thinking if I had a gun I would be able to threaten them enough so they don’t harm anybody in the home.

                Others may believe that having a weapon of defense isn’t necessary. Some believe that it’s a risk to have in the household when there are children around this position is weak because don’t always let them know about the weapon in the house and put it somewhere where they  won’t be able to see it or even reach it. If some people want to tell them then they can and just keep it out of reach. Some people also believe that if the burglar or robber knows about the weapon then they will use it against you this position is also weak because keep it hidden in a safe and don’t keep it outside in the open where everyone who enters the house knows about it. Criminals are most likely less to attack if they know of the armed weapon in the home.

                Criminals carry concealed weapons regardless of their legality. Responsible citizens should have the same advantages when it comes to protecting themselves from armed attackers.This is a topic many people thought differentiate between. There are many pros and cons of carry a concealed weapon in or outside the house.   When we live in a world where everything and anything could happen it really does help to be happy knowing that you have something to defend yourself with in almost any situation.