Gun Control Essay Example: Should There Be More Restrictions

The 1992 Constitution provides explicit instructions to the citizens of Ghana to defend it. That is to say the citizens are inured with the correlative constitutional right to acquire arms, to keep and to bear them in anticipation of national defense. Despite this charge, the legislative framework has for a considerable length of time placed administrative restrictions on gun ownership that undermine the constitutional grant to citizens to even acquire arms. The National Commission on Small Arms and regional conventions such as Ecowas Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons have confusing nomenclature and idiosyncratic definition for legal and illicit gun ownership that complicate the right to bear arms. After days analysing the advantages and disadvantages of owning a gun, I think there should be more restrictions on the current process of purchasing a gun.

Below are reasons why I think so.

Firstly, when there is domestic violence in the family or the possibility of domestic violence such as during a contentious divorce. This is a bad situation that needs to be fixed, generally by putting a lot of distance between the parties. If the violent people are all in the same house and there is a firearm, there is an increased possibility that one will use it on the other. A similar incident happened in the Upper East Region of Ghana where a man, Tindana Mbaweni, killed both his wife and daughter. Moreover, he also reportedly injured one of his sons in the process.

In addition to the above point, most people use guns to commit suicide. Ideally the depressed/suicidal person receives treatment and all is well, but until treatment is successful completed, having a firearm on the premises generally exacerbates the problem. A man from the Western Region of Ghana shot himself on 30th May 2016. Some people say yes, but if there is no gun they will just hang themselves or use pills. Possibly, hopefully not, but on a macabre note, if there is no stopping the suicide, walking in on someone who has hanged themselves is a whole lot better than finding someone who has blown their head off.

Thirdly, when there are troubled teens in the home. Gang banger kids, show off kids, kids who are bullied or out of control make for a very volatile situation. Moreover, kids are pretty clever so if they really want to get to your gun they probably will and consequently the results can be deadly (or at least lead to incarcerations). These situations usually occur Ghana and it is mostly in the news.

Also, if you think you will only use it to scare away a burglar but would never actually use it. Hopefully the sound of hitting your silver plate will send a smart burglar right out of your home but this may be wishful thinking. The only time you should point a firearm at a person is if you fully intend to use it on them.

Lastly, when alcohol use is out of control. Excessive alcohol use can end up with a deadly results. An alcoholic with a gun is bad all the way around.

One information(news) I saw online that I think it worth sharing is the below

A drunk man shot his wife and gaining information information on his wife's extramarital affairs. This incident happened in Ghana.

I believe that if there were more restrictions on the process of purchasing a gun this misfortune would not have happened.

Obviously owning a gun is a big responsibility. Part of this responsibility involves knowing when not to have one.