Gun control

Gun control is the restriction of those who can legally obtain firearms. It makes it more difficult for a nut to pick up a gun somewhere to use against an innocent life, such as yourself, your family or anyone you care about.

Gun control also reduces the possibility that a child will be able to get a hold of an unsecure firearm and use it against his family, peers or classmates. School shootings don't happen in countries with proper gun control; the whole world watches in horror when they happen in armed societies such as the United States.

Some may argue that strong gun rights protect us from tyranny. However, this protection comes at great cost. With the proper checks and balances in government, this will not be a problem.

Some also argue that is everyone carried a gun with them at all times, murderers would be shot soon after they start shooting, and gun rights prevent crime. On the other hand, people do not always think rationally. Think of every time someone is drunk, using drugs, or is extremely angry. Now imagine if they have a gun while this is happening. Shooters may be stopped more quickly, but there will be far more people who engage in shootings. All and all, gun rights don't prevent crime.

Conservative silliness
Conservatives like to claim that gun control will lead to the rise of Nazis in America. In truth, the Nazis softened the gun laws enacted by the Weimar Republic. These included lowering the age from 20 to 18, raising the permit lengths from one year to three years, and exempting party members.

Others shallowly argue that because cars and bathtubs are dangerous, they should be banned if guns are too. However, they ignore that we need a licence to drive, and that bathtubs weren't designed to kill people. These same conservatives also claim that all liberals want to ban guns period, instead of just setting limits on these lethal things, like we do with cars, alcohol and trans fat. This is not true.

See Strawman.

Liberal ideas
Many liberals realize that a profitable black market could be created if guns were completely banned. They want to set intermediate controls used in many industrialized countries. There are liberals who want guns to be completely banned, but the ultimate goal of liberals is not to criminalize responsible gun owners; it is to prevent those who are clearly unstable and have a questionable past from stocking up on arsenals and using them.