The Second Amendment, known as The Right to Bear Arms, is a highly debated political topic in the news right now and anytime there is a gun related tragedy such as a school shooting.  How someone feels about the Second Amendment and gun control seems to depend on a family’s background or experiences with guns.

Hunters and people with military or law enforcement backgrounds might feel differently about gun control compared to people who have no experience with guns.

Greeley West juniors, Will Broderius and Ryan Arscott have a lot to say about guns and gun control – especially since Colorado is in the middle of hunting season right now.  Broderius has been hunting for 11 years and his dad taught him how to hunt and how to use a gun safely. He goes at least 10 times a year, and said that there’s probably a year he went 20 times.

Ryan Arscott is also a hunter and his father served in the Air Force, which has also influenced his opinion on the Second Amendment and guns.

“Firearms are extremely useful in self-defense type situations,” Arscott said. “They also are extremely useful when it comes down to hunting.”

Broderius agreed saying, “The pros [of] possessing guns is that they are fun to shoot, good for personal and home protection, and hunting.”

In 2017, the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Agency sold 342,000 elk and deer licenses. But at the same time, national survey data also shows that more Americans say gun laws should be more strict.  As a hunter, Broderius is very concerned about how gun control, “would make it harder to purchase new hunting guns and tools.”

Arscott and Broderius share a strong belief that the Second Amenemdent is an important American right that should be protected.  Arscott  believes every United States citizen is entitled to own a firearm after background screening, no matter what kind of firearm it is. He offered this perspective:  “When guns are taken away, so are our rights. When our rights are taken away we lose our freedom,” Arscott said.

The juniors say the problem with guns in general is that owners don’t always use them responsibly.  Arscott raised the question, is it the gun or the people that are this issue?  ”It’s not the guns fault people are being killed, it’s the people that use them against other humans’ fault,” Arscott said.  “Maybe the problem with mental health and drug addiction might need to be addressed instead of gun control.”

Gun Control is a controversial topic but to people like Broderius and Arscott, it is more than a law: it’s a personal right and a family tradition to go hunting.