Seeing from both points of view on a topic is almost always difficult. I struggle with it myself, but I try to stick with my morals when it comes down to it. For example, if one of your moral baselines is that you value life, than there are technically many things you would likely need to change about your lifestyle.
But here’s the thing. I’m not here to force you to change your lifestyle, I’m simply here to explain why others’ opinions sometimes seem outlandishly wrong to you. For example, if one did value life, they would likely be pro gun reform. “Life” means being alive, and guns kill. Guns kill people and animals. But not every person who says they value life believes in gun reform. There are generally three major reasons as to why we believe certain things: the beliefs of our parents, tradition and “personal taste,” which varies.
Let’s stick with the topic of guns.
If you grew up in a gun-friendly family that went hunting or shooting regularly, it’s easy to be pro-gun, but if you value life then there’s conflict. Guns were created to hurt and kill more efficiently. When you realize 65 percent of preventable suicides are by gun and 96 people die every day due to gun violence, then maybe it’s understandable to think, “hm, maybe I don’t agree with my parents.”
Traditionally, the basis for pro-gun beliefs is the Second Amendment. But the Constitution was published well over 200 years ago. The 18th amendment made alcohol illegal, yet that was quickly abolished. The point is, times change, and not everything that was relevant in 1787 is relevant now.
The last major reason given was “personal taste,” which can also be considered convenience. Now, this changes in regards to every argument, but in gun reform, “personal taste” can be pretty easy to pinpoint. “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” It is so much easier for people to brush it off, to say it’s not their problem, but the fact is that it is everyone’s problem. Gun violence can affect anybody. Just two years ago, a student at Marysville-Pilchuck High School took his father’s illegally-owned gun and killed four people. This could have been avoided with stricter gun laws, background checks and supporting laws.
