Guns are only good for killing

Anti-gun groups, and activists can frequently be heard saying “the only purpose of guns is to kill” or the more colorful “guns are killing machines” a few weeks ago I even read where a hunter writing to field and stream described a modern deer rifle as a “man killing machine”! ….. with friends like that ….. but the purpose of firearms is not to kill. Firearms have many uses such as hunting, and sport shooting, but the highest use of firearms is defense. Defense of life, liberty and property.

The often missed fallacy in the “guns are only good for killing” claim is that the defensive purpose of firearms can be exercised without someone dying, without a round being fired. Sometimes a crime is discouraged because the would be perpetrator knows there is a weapon in the house. Sometimes presenting the firearm during the commission is enough to discourage the perpetrator from carrying it out.

If we were to look back at 2014 and cases of firearms being used for self defense we wouldn’t observe “killing machines” rather we would observe that firearms are tools that help mothers protect children, and children protect their siblings.