Do Guns Really Make Us Free?

Source: Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash

One of the common claims made by the gun rights movement in America is that guns make us free. Or, as some put it, the right protected by the Second Amendment—the freedom to own and use a firearm—protects the rights laid out in all of the others. There is much to say here, but let's focus on the fact that often, the arguments made by some in the gun rights movement contradict this claim.

Registry tracking for video game players

For example, some have argued that the prevalence of gun violence in America is not due to guns, but rather violent entertainment media, including video games. Elizabeth Hasselbeck, for example, suggested that we create a registry tracking not only who buys violent video games, but also how much they play.

As philosopher Firmin DeBrabander points out in his book, Do Guns Make Us Free?, this is ironic because it is but one of many examples where gun rights advocates are willing to give up certain freedoms in order to have an absolute right to own a gun. Privacy is important for gun owners, but not video game buyers, it seems.

National database for people with mental illness

Others have argued that what is needed is a national database of people who are suffering from mental illness. Former head of the National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre put it this way: "The truth is that our society is populated by an unknown number of genuine monsters—people so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons that no sane person can eve comprehend them. They walk among us every day."¹

Several problems exist here. LaPierre's characterization of the mentally ill is immoral and dehumanizing. Putting them in a database will increase the stigma that still exists related to mental illness. Such stigma often leads to more prejudice and discrimination.

But it is also important to see that his characterization is also false. For LaPierre, if one is judged to be mentally incompetent, then that person should go into the database. But why should the mentally ill be included with criminals in a database? The mentally ill are more likely to be a victim of a crime than to perpetrate one. In fact, they are 11 times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime compared to others. It would be nice if the concern that many gun rights advocates have for victims of crime took these facts into account.

Some in the gun rights movement claim to strongly value individual liberty. It is ironic, at best, that many of them are willing to infringe on other important freedoms to protect what they see as their absolute freedom to own a gun.