Monday Matters #8

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/07/22/column-little-gun-control-would-be-good-america/

Rebecca Berg, who is a reporter, columnist, and editor in Missouri, recently went to study in the UK and provides several points to consider about how seriously the US takes gun control. After a mass-shooting incident in the UK, the people reacted by immediately pressuring the government for stricter gun control. She gives several statistics on how few deaths the UK experiences from firearms per year, but simply rules a recent scenario out of the statistics because it is simply 'uncommon', a serious blow to her credibility and argument. She does make a good argument, though, when she notes that at times, firearms actually infringe upon the Constitution by denying people the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The argument is strong, but she failed to mention how stricter gun control will affect law abiding citizens who use guns for self-defense against criminals--a significant percentage of the 'startling 9484' people killed in the US by firearms was criminals who had been shot by a law abiding citizen for self-defense.