Across the globe, many individuals own guns for self-defence and recreational purposes. Gun related mortalities in households – in particular – throw the ethics of such forms of private gun ownership into sharp relief. In this essay, I shall appeal to crime statistics to argue that a person is at a far greater risk being shot if there is a gun in a household.
Firstly, it is intuitively obvious that having a gun in a household endangers children and teenagers. This is because minors do not have the requisite knowledge or maturity to handle guns safely. For example, the US Department of Justice recently revealed statistics showing that 150 American children and teenagers die each year because of accidents relating to household guns. Therefore it is incontrovertible that household guns lead to additional shootings.
Secondly, household guns became especially dangerous when spouses have violent arguments. This is because male sexual rage, in particular, often results in deadly aggression. For example, The International Crime Bureau recently produced statistical evidence that – if there is a household gun – a man is twice as likely (if he discovers his wife having an affair) to kill her in a fit of jealous rage. Therefore, once again, household guns correlate positively with additional shootings.
In conclusion, there is undeniable evidence that having a gun in a house leads to further shootings. Given the strength of this evidence, in the future, more legislature needs to be put in place to limit private gun ownership.