Benefits Of Strict Gun Control

The Benefits of Strict Gun Control According to Hobbes

Mass shootings and deaths from gun violence have become almost an epidemic in the United States. It seems as though every few weeks or months there is news of another horrific shooting claiming the lives of unsuspecting Americans. And there are many more shooting deaths that don’t make the national news that are just as pressing in the lives and mentalities of our people. With the increasing impact that gun violence is having on the fabric of our society, it is crucial now more than ever that our government takes action to protect its citizens from harm. That action must come in the form of stricter gun regulations. Through clearer legislation and more strictly enforced regulations, the

This administration does not intend to patronize Americans or make claims that the people of this nation are incapable of making decisions for themselves. As Thomas Hobbes (1998) asserts, men are reasonable beings whose actions are ordered by self-preservation. Humans are essentially rational, but the killings of hundreds of innocent people at the hands of gun violence is not rational (Hobbes, 1998). Our citizens are certainly capable of taking care of themselves, but it is the role of the government to take care of everybody, to take as many steps as possible to ensure that everyone can live a life free of fear and violence. As Hobbes (1998) writes, people create a government and submit some of their rights to it in order protect themselves from each other and from greater threats (p.114). This is the role of government. With the laidback gun control policies that we currently have in place, this administration is not living up to that role or fulfilling the expectations of the people. When Americans enter into greater society with the fear of mass shootings over their heads, this administration is failing. Stricter gun control is an attempt to remedy that

As Hobbes (1998) writes, “to seek peace and follow it” is the fundamental law of nature, a goal that we should aspire toward against our natural inclination toward conflict and war (p. 87). Weak gun control regulations do not enforce this law of nature. Having dangerous firearms in the hands of people who either intend to do harm or who simply aren’t qualified to handle them threatens the sense of security for the entire nation. It is important to acknowledge here that by submitting to stricter gun control regulations, the American people are being asked to graciously surrender to a limitation on their freedom, and one which they have enjoyed for so long. With that thought in mind, we must remind those who have concerns about stricter gun control that this is a societal sacrifice. This collective compromise connects us to another one of Hobbes’ laws of nature: that men, with the intention of seeking peace, must surrender certain natural rights with the knowledge that others are doing the same (p. 87, 1998). All citizens are being asked to adhere to more stringent regulations in order to make society safer for everybody. It is only fair that in the pursuit of peace, we practice equality as