It’s a brisk, sunny morning a few days after the last frost.  I can faintly hear the click-click of the chamber closing over my earplugs.  I firmly press the stick to my shoulder, and feel the distinctive texture of the finished wood on my cheek as I aim down the sights.  I scream “Pull!” and the next thing I know, I hear the unmistakable BOOM of a 12 gauge shell leaving the barrel and obliterating the target.  

  I’m a firm believer that there aren’t many better smells than used gunpowder.

  From a young age, I grew up around guns.  My grandfather served in the navy and was a hunter all his life, so I inherited the same interest from him as a role model.  My experiences continued into adolescence as my father and I go shooting regularly, even after my grandfather’s passing.

  The media doesn’t paint a pretty picture about guns, and for good reason.  According to the National Institute of Justice, 68 percent of murders are committed using guns, as well as over 40 percent of robberies.  However, the media focuses the attention on the weapons; I am a firm believer that the cause of these statistics is the people pulling the trigger.

  According to a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh, “Lawful gun owners commit less than a fifth of all gun crimes.”  In most cases, crimes were committed by people who either stole guns from their rightful owners, or purchased from the black market.  If this is the case, then why do people discourage legal gun ownership?

  Perhaps it is that people like us are the silent majority.  If you use your gun to go hunting or trap shooting, and keep it for home defense, it probably isn’t going to cause your name to appear on the nightly news.  Perhaps it is the media in general; negative stories garner more attention than positive ones, so every gun crime is going to be publicized.  

  Another reason that gun ownership is portrayed in a negative light is that many gun owners make their guns a significant part of their identity.  Everyone seems to know a redneck with a million bumper stickers about their guns.  Even in urban areas, it’s often not possible to avoid people talking about their firearms, as inner city life seems as though it demands gun ownership to survive.  

  It is true that many countries in the developed world seem to have no problems with implementing strict gun control laws, and they seem to be better off for it. But did these countries have gun ownership written into their constitutions?

  The solution for gun crime in the United States is a balance between encouraging gun ownership and safety, and cracking down on illegal firearm possession.  If the government were to hand out an AR-15 to everyone, the country would suffer as though every gun had been removed from citizens’ hands.  

  The implementation of background checks before being able to purchase a gun is essential in a modern society.  The truth is, there are many people who should not own a gun.  If a convicted felon were to walk into a Cabela’s, they should not be able to leave with a weapon.  In addition, people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia should be barred from purchasing firearms.  

  A pleasant reality that many inexperienced, non-gun owners neglect is that with the proper safety training, guns are fun.  There are millions of Americans who own guns and aren’t violent, and in my experience, many of the most warm hearted people I know are gun enthusiasts.  However, to suggest that there are no problems that exist because of guns is ludicrous and ignorant.  

  A solution to the gun problem is not a simple one, and it doesn’t exist yet.  But one thing becomes more apparent to me every day: taking guns away from law abiding citizens is not the answer.