The Curious Parallels of Guns and Abortion
At first glance, the topics of gun control and abortion seem to only share being incredibly polarizing topics. And if someone has an opinion on either, it tends to be very strong. Living in the intermountain west, I see discussions on both, and realize there's far more commonality than one would think.
For starters, "It's an instrument of death" will crop up in either topic, with a grain of truth. Even though people shoot for recreation, guns are at their core a weapon. They are designed to hit something, whether lethally or not. Abortion ends a potential for life (or life itself if you believe that starts at conception). However, I haven't heard of anyone aborting for fun- whether medical or surgical it's hardly a picnic, and it's absurd for people to think that some women use it as birth control- way too expensive cost and timewise compared to alternatives.
Considering the above, a huge amount of responsibility must be considered before purchasing a gun or making a decision on an unwanted pregnancy. The gun owner should consider who in their household will have access to it, to leave it unloaded or not (and if loaded, what kind of precautions to take to prevent accidents), where to store them, etc. What are the circumstances- is this for hunting, for recreation? An unwanted pregnancy may be faced with even more questions because every circumstance is different- is raising a child financially viable, can the woman set aside nine months of her life or will she need to work, is the father in the picture, etc. etc. Anyone who assumes a solution (whether it be abortion, adoption, or parenting) is chosen flippantly has never walked in those shoes.
More fundamentally, blanket restrictions are bad for both. As Republican legislators love to point out, criminals disregard laws and will obtain guns anyway so why keep them away from law-abiding citizens? This is awfully similar to something I've noted- that women who choose to abort will try and find a solution anyway, whether it be via the internet, herbal remedies, or suicide. Historically speaking, restrictions seem to do the opposite as seen with the Prohibition and the war on drugs. In fact, sales may have risen in December 2012 after the mere suggestion of considering gun control laws. Many anti-choicers have been pressing on the Kermit Gosnell case as to why abortion should be banned, except this is a case where poor women couldn't afford safer, better care that might've saved their lives. The horrors mentioned now that the gag order is over are reminiscent of the pre-Roe era.
That's not to say all bans are bad. Certainly, late-term abortions are riskier than those in the first trimester. Some guns are more lethal than others (not my area of expertise, so I can't go more in depth, but I'd consider a BB gun safer than an assault rifle, generally speaking). But rather than a ban, more scrutiny in these cases should likely be taken- are there medical conditions that threaten the life of the mother or the fetus? Is an assault weapon necessary for hunting or an artifact from a family member's service time (again, not a gun owner, and searching for whether or not they're alright for hunting seems to be rather unclear)?
Ultimately, the solution to safer gun usage and lower abortion rates is education We require drivers' education for obtaining drivers licenses; why not require gun safety courses before purchasing guns? It diminishes the number of people who don't fully know what they're doing and the possibility of accidents. Educating on types of guns and their usage would also decrease the confusion over whether we should examine assault weapons/assault rifles/handguns/etc. Likewise, comprehensive sex education arms teenagers with the tools they need to make informed decisions- if they decide to have sex (whether now or later after marriage), what are ways they can prevent pregnancy? Or how to plan a family- timing, preparation, fertility, etc.? Knowledge is power, and absolutely the key to resolution.
For starters, "It's an instrument of death" will crop up in either topic, with a grain of truth. Even though people shoot for recreation, guns are at their core a weapon. They are designed to hit something, whether lethally or not. Abortion ends a potential for life (or life itself if you believe that starts at conception). However, I haven't heard of anyone aborting for fun- whether medical or surgical it's hardly a picnic, and it's absurd for people to think that some women use it as birth control- way too expensive cost and timewise compared to alternatives.
Considering the above, a huge amount of responsibility must be considered before purchasing a gun or making a decision on an unwanted pregnancy. The gun owner should consider who in their household will have access to it, to leave it unloaded or not (and if loaded, what kind of precautions to take to prevent accidents), where to store them, etc. What are the circumstances- is this for hunting, for recreation? An unwanted pregnancy may be faced with even more questions because every circumstance is different- is raising a child financially viable, can the woman set aside nine months of her life or will she need to work, is the father in the picture, etc. etc. Anyone who assumes a solution (whether it be abortion, adoption, or parenting) is chosen flippantly has never walked in those shoes.
More fundamentally, blanket restrictions are bad for both. As Republican legislators love to point out, criminals disregard laws and will obtain guns anyway so why keep them away from law-abiding citizens? This is awfully similar to something I've noted- that women who choose to abort will try and find a solution anyway, whether it be via the internet, herbal remedies, or suicide. Historically speaking, restrictions seem to do the opposite as seen with the Prohibition and the war on drugs. In fact, sales may have risen in December 2012 after the mere suggestion of considering gun control laws. Many anti-choicers have been pressing on the Kermit Gosnell case as to why abortion should be banned, except this is a case where poor women couldn't afford safer, better care that might've saved their lives. The horrors mentioned now that the gag order is over are reminiscent of the pre-Roe era.
That's not to say all bans are bad. Certainly, late-term abortions are riskier than those in the first trimester. Some guns are more lethal than others (not my area of expertise, so I can't go more in depth, but I'd consider a BB gun safer than an assault rifle, generally speaking). But rather than a ban, more scrutiny in these cases should likely be taken- are there medical conditions that threaten the life of the mother or the fetus? Is an assault weapon necessary for hunting or an artifact from a family member's service time (again, not a gun owner, and searching for whether or not they're alright for hunting seems to be rather unclear)?
Ultimately, the solution to safer gun usage and lower abortion rates is education We require drivers' education for obtaining drivers licenses; why not require gun safety courses before purchasing guns? It diminishes the number of people who don't fully know what they're doing and the possibility of accidents. Educating on types of guns and their usage would also decrease the confusion over whether we should examine assault weapons/assault rifles/handguns/etc. Likewise, comprehensive sex education arms teenagers with the tools they need to make informed decisions- if they decide to have sex (whether now or later after marriage), what are ways they can prevent pregnancy? Or how to plan a family- timing, preparation, fertility, etc.? Knowledge is power, and absolutely the key to resolution.