“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is a well-known slogan used by the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun activists to make the case for their deregulation agenda. So which is it? Do guns kill people or do people kill people?
Guns kill people
It is only guns that can cause the type of unfathomable death that they do. The destruction of numerous lives in short timespans is because of guns.
There are guns made exclusively to kill
"Due to the Industrial Revolution, and the American Civil War and World War I, gun manufacturers stimulated production of handmade assault weapons and more powerful handguns and pistols with the only purpose of killing enemy soldiers with less accuracy and a higher concentration of bullets" -Bernie Sanders
Among developed nations, the US is by and large the most homicidal — in large part due to the easy access many Americans have to firearms. When more guns are available to civilians, there is more death.
Yes, people pull the trigger, but guns are designed to kill people in a fast and efficient manner. Gun manufacturers design guns to kill, rapidly and efficiently.
The path a bullet takes is what kills a person. They can cut through skin, destroy tissue, damage organs, and shatter through bone. This is the intended consequence of assault rifles and guns. Guns release bullets that in turn cause death.
Guns are not dangerous unless put in the hands of dangerous people. It is the person who pulls the trigger.
Guns are inanimate objects
A gun is an inanimate object. It does not turn from a tool into a weapon without a person. It does not have the potential to kill unless picked up by a human being. It can not do harm until a finger pushes the trigger.
At what point do the elected officials who have the power to stop gun violence become to blame? How many deaths at the hands of gun violence will it take for lawmakers to make laws that stop people from killing other people?
About 1 in 5 adults suffers from a mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The focus needs to shift away from banning guns, and into pouring resources and funds into mental health initiatives and programs. This will effectively stop gun violence.
