The recent San Bernardino shootings have once again brought up a debate that is running rampant through our nation- gun control. Some people seem to think that restricting gun sales, stricter background checks and mental health checks, smaller magazine sizes, and other forms of “control” will magically, and almost overnight lessen the amount of gun related crime in our nation. That simply isn’t realistic, and I would like to offer four reasons as to why guns are actually not the problem in the United States of America.

1. There’s too many guns.

The sheer amount of guns already owned by citizens of the United States make it nearly impossible to institute what the left thinks will be a “mass gun buyback movement.” 300 million guns are currently owned in the United States. That means that 9 out of 10 people own a gun. Over the past 20 years, gun sales have absolutely exploded, but homicides with firearms are down 39 percent during that time and “other crimes with firearms” are down 69 percent according to the Cato Institute. There is no way that the federal government has the manpower, or the readily available finances, to make sure that every gun in the United States is accounted for, and seeing as gun violence is actually down in recent years, the whole gun control debate needs to stop.

2. The Seconds Amendment.

The Second Amendment of the United States of America states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms will not be infringed.” Now, I think that background checks are a fairly reasonable safety precaution when purchasing a firearm. However, when uber liberal politicians come out and say that citizens need not be armed, I start to worry. We live in a volatile society. How am I to protect myself from a  gun wielding madman if I myself am not allowed proper self defense? Am I supposed to hope a punch is enough? That’s just not realistic.

3. Doesn’t work with criminals

Liberals seem to think that criminals will follow these gun control laws and that all will be well. Criminals are people who commit crime and break laws… This point is pretty self explanatory.

4. Guns don’t make up the majority of killings

Only 8 percent of murders are committed with firearms. The other over 90 percent are associated with knives, various toxins and other miscellaneous objects. Let’s ban those too!

Overall, guns in the United States are used 80 times more often to prevent crime than they are to take lives according to the NRA. Let’s stop with these partisan debates over topics that have been discussed to death. Let’s instead focus our effort on ending ISIS. Let’s spend taxpayer money on educating people instead of regulating guns. Let’s stop blaming the guns and maybe start blaming the people behind them.