Guns have always been a part of American culture, even before we became the America we know today. In colonial times and the days of the Wild West, guns were an essential part of survival. They were needed to kill animals for food and to protect against unwanted trespassers and predators. However, in these modern times, because we have conveniences such as Hannaford and organized police systems, guns have gone from tools of necessity to novelty toys. For the most part, people own guns in this century for sporting reasons or to protect their families and home from intrusion. Nonetheless, despite the backseat guns have taken as a necessity in American culture, they remain a potent presence among us. The simplicity of a gun and the lack of effort it requires to own one has lured many people to acquire a gun, and now “there are hundreds of millions of guns in circulation in the United States” (McArdle, Megan). This fact leads to the reality of our modern culture. Guns are not just used to take down a moose in the autumn or protect against a home invasion. As a machine that can kill, many people very quickly, a vast amount of violence is naturally going to result from its existence. The words “something must be done” are always spoken in the wake of a tragedy, especially when it involves gun violence. There is also a lot of blame thrown about. Blame the NRA. Blame the President. Blame every gun-owning citizen in American. Blame Adam Lanza’s mother. Blame Sandy Hook Elementary’s security system. Nevertheless, pointing your finger does not solve problems. Many have stated we should blame nobody, but Adam Lanza himself. There is little that can be done otherwise. It is impossible to stop violence. Although the US crime rate reached a forty-year low in 2010, annual crimes still average over nine million. We might not be able to stop gun violence, but who says we cannot help to reduce the gun trauma we are going through? Being able to reduce gun violence should follow under decreasing the availability of the machines themselves, as well as limiting the ease of acquiring one, making a person undergo an extensive background check, and keeping surplus military weapons off on...
