Topics Ethics

Question I am wondering if it is ethical to own a gun? There is this attitude that keeps popping up when I raise this question, that a gun is an object just like any other and that the intent of the individual is what matters most. I can't help and think about situations where the user who owns the gun could be in a situation that gets out of his control or if an accidental discharge happens. I also wonder about the self fulfilling prophecy aspect and the law of attraction. Does owning a gun and thinking that it is a cool device contribute to the inevitability of having to use it. There is also the reality that many of the people who own guns end up using the gun to commit suicide. (I can't find the statistic but it is a staggering number.) Should Vegetarians abstain from owning guns?

Accepted:
February 13, 2009

Comments

As you say, purchasing a gun with the intention of causing harm to someone else is definitely unethical. (Or make that a ‘definite maybe’ - do deer count as ‘someone else’? To the animal rights activist, yes and to the hunter, no.)

There are many of people who enjoy gun collecting as a hobby, from what I understand. To the collector, a gun could be a crafted object of beauty. Personally I’d rather have a nice oil painting. Or maybe a pastel. Anything, really, looks better over the couch than a gun.

But from the tone of your email I don’t think you are contemplating hunters or gun connoisseurs. You are thinking of someone believes that guns are dangerous but nevertheless useful, someone who is drawn to gun ownership but fears her worst impulses (and/or lack of marksmanship).

Such a person should not own a gun. I don’t it would be unethical, so much as impractical in this case. Having a gun in the house, I suspect, would be a source of discomfort and unease – which is probably the exact opposite of what our novice gun owner was looking for. Assuming the gun was secured properly, as it ought to be, the very act of securing the gun away would entirely defeat the purpose of feeling secure (against home invasion, for example) because the weapon wouldn’t be handy when and if it was needed. (Burglars are intolerant of homeowners fiddling around with gun cabinet locks during break-ins.)

Note to vegetarians: kitchen knives, used to do violence to our plant-life dinners, could also come in handy during those dreaded home invasions! Alas, since I am not a ninja, I would rely on sturdy locks and perhaps a good home security system to put my mind at ease.