Why Do Irresponsible Parties Use Weapons?

When irresponsible parties get ahold of a firearm or weapon, conflict is sure to follow. An irresponsible party could be the licensed weapon holder themselves or anyone else in their household, such as a child or spouse, that is not permitted to use that weapon. Conflicts that ensue after an irresponsible party use a firearm/weapon can be either interpersonal, intrapersonal, or both. In order to prevent such conflicts from occurring, certain precautions must be made. If precautions aren’t taken, irresponsible parties will use weapons incorrectly or for the wrong reasons.

Irresponsible parties can take many forms, including the licensed weapon holder themselves, children, and other household members. Though they’re legally permitted to carry

Interpersonal conflict refers to any conflict that occurs between 2 or more people (or groups of people). An example of an interpersonal conflict that can occur between a licensed weapon holder and another party would be if the permit holder used their weapon to go on a mass killing spree and injure/kill innocent bystanders at a shopping mall. The licensed weapon holder would be acting irresponsibly and recklessly in such a situation. Children can also be involved in an interpersonal conflict when they happen across a licensed firearm and accidentally discharge the weapon at another person. Intrapersonal conflict is any conflict that takes place within the person (i.e. a mental struggle between right and wrong). Suicide is a common tragedy that occurs when an irresponsible party uses a firearm/weapon while they’re dealing with an intrapersonal conflict. An irresponsible licensed weapon holder will use their weapon to take their life because they lost their job, for example, and have no way to make ends meet for their family, and because they’re irresponsible they will fail to consider the repercussions of their action. A child, while handling a weapon that belongs to someone else, may discharge the weapon against themselves accidentally since they’re not responsible enough to know how to use a firearm/weapon correctly. Sometimes an intrapersonal

I believe if a few modifications are made, that we can lessen the amount of tragedies that occur. One modification that can be made would be a stricter firearm/weapon permit application process. According to Officer Jay, an officer in the state of New York, mental examinations used to be required in order to get a firearms license and this was to ensure the competency and sanity of the applicant. However, the mental examination was attacked by companies like the NRA (National Rifle Association) and eventually removed (Jay, 2015). If the mental examination was reapplied to the application process, it could protect against mentally unstable people using weapons irresponsibly. Another modification that can be made would be harsher punishments for weapon owners that allow their child to access their weapon. According to News 21, “More than 1,100 children and teens were killed by a gun that accidentally discharged” and “For every U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan during the 11 years of war, at least 13 children were shot and killed in America.” I believe if there’s a harsher punishment for the parents of children that use firearms, that they will be deterred from leaving their weapons in unsecure locations. I also feel that punishments