Ethics

1. Do you think that individuals have the moral right to buy, sell, and use firearms If so, should this right be regulated by the government If so, how Or should private ownership of firearms be abolished altogether

Based on the reading, Locke and Load Lockean Rights and Gun Control, I am inclined to defend my stance as a believer of the moral right of individuals to procure firearms for the sole purpose of their personal security.  However, I also believe that this should come with certain regulations to assure that its purpose will be served truthfully.  One of the essential regulations that must be met is to allow only for short firearms to be sold to any individual.  Likewise, this may only be in the form of those hand guns less powerful than the .40 calibers being offered by the manufacturers, thus limiting the sales to .22, .30, and .38 caliber pistols.  Hopefully, this will minimize the occurrences of inflicting fatal wounds, even to those who are truly violating the human rights of others.

As the government is the only duly-recognized authority to implement such regulations, perhaps the best way to achieve an honest execution of such ordinance is to provide strict standards for issuing gun permits.  Other than the standard battery of psychological examinations, only one agency should provide the necessary permits.  This could either be the Firearms and Explosive Divisions of the national police force or any correlating agency with the same purpose.  Another step would be to limit the sales of firearms to only one per individual, regardless of his position or the dangers to his life and property that necessitated the need to own a gun.  Any further need for added security must be provided for by the police departments in order to assure that his personalpolitical influences will be within the bounds of the law.

In direct contrast to the prevailing reality, the successful implementation of this system will result in a society where the police force is the only sector that possesses a significant number of firearms.  Not only will this provide for a much safer environment, but will likewise enable our police forces to be more efficient in their fight against societal evils such as prostitution, illegal drugs trade, car-napping syndicates, and other organized crimes, as they will be confident that the opposing forces will be possessing of minimal number, if at all any, of firearms that will greatly endanger their lives.  

Morality Issue
The problem with the right of self-defense, as explained in the reading, is the apparent possibility of the citizens to abuse this tenet.  This was mainly the reason, especially in the more recent times, for the mass killings we have witnessed involving the youth, and wherein as many as 32 had been killed in a single occurrence.  Another problem with this precept is the tendency of the citizens to acquire a vigilante attitude, wherein they will task it upon themselves to execute criminals, thus putting the law into their own hands.  The prevalence of this situation will most likely lead to a society with heightened levels of public distrust and unrest, much like the case with northwestern Pakistan, as detailed in the reading.

While it is true that we must, in the best of our capabilities, ensure the safety of those we love, it would be highly dangerous for members of the society to possess unlimited and unchecked numbers of firearms.  The basis for this reasoning is simple not all of us are psychologically-balanced to wield such powers.  There is a clear danger that the slightest provocation, such as in traffic altercations where there is clearly no use for any shots to be fired, will result in a fatal shooting simply because one of the parties involved has a gun.

In a utopian society, we may dream of crime-less communities and neighborhoods, however, experience and logic tells us that this is not so.  The truth is that we live in a society where there exists a clear and constant danger of ones rights being violated.  This however, does not excuse us form acquiring too much fire power in our very homes, but necessitates for the introduction of some legal remedies in order to promote personal safety, and hopefully, will result to an environment that is much safer place to live.