Opponents of gun rights like to paint a rosy picture of what a world without guns would look like. They suggest that without guns, crime would go away, and violence would end. However that is not case:
First, passing a law that bans guns wouldn’t disarm criminals, as the criminals would just buy their guns on the black market or illegally manufacture guns. Smugglers are sophisticated these days, and the mass production of guns and ammunition is something that can be accomplished in even 3rd world countries. Just as we’ve learned through prohibition and the war on drugs, bans don’t stop people from getting access to contraband, instead give criminal gangs the ability to become rich and powerful. You can read more about why gun control laws just won’t work here.
Secondly, just for the sake of argument, even if it were somehow possible to have a world without guns, it would not be a peaceful place. Instead, the physically stronger criminals would prey upon the elderly, the disabled, the women, those who are different, and anyone else whom they can physically overpower. In short, the world would return to a more barbaric state, in which might makes right, and the physically strong impose their will on the rest of society.
An Example of a Violent Confrontation where No One Had a Gun
A woman was reportedly walking near the Metra train station at 75th Street and Chicago Avenue when a man appeared, and implied that he had a weapon. The man then forced the woman onto the train platform, and demanded that she perform a sex act. When the woman refused, the man is said to have pushed her in front of a Metra train that was headed inbound toward the Loop. Luckily, the train was moving slowly as it pulled into the station, so the woman was not killed, although she was still seriously injured.
Here, no one had a gun, but the rapist was able to overpower the victim and push her in the path of a moving train. Unless we’re going to ban trains, nail guns, cars, knives, hands, and every other object that isn’t soft and round with no sharp edges, criminals will always find a way to harm their victims. Restricting gun ownership just creates a situation in which the victim is at a disadvantage, relative to the often physically stronger or more numerous criminals.