Gun control is an interesting paradox. Advocates of gun control believe the use of state initiated violence against all gun owners will reduce the amount of violence in society. Truthfully gun control merely makes the lawful unlawful. Deciding to obey a law, like everything else humans do, is based on a cost-benefits analysis. If an individual’s perceived cost of obeying a law exceeds that individual’s perceived benefit then the individual will disobey the law. With the constant increase of violent crimes in Mexico, a state with very strict gun control laws, lawful individuals are finding themselves having to restort to unlawful behavior by arming themselves:
Mexico has some of the toughest gun-control laws in the world, but drug cartels have well-stocked arsenals. For law-abiding citizens, it’s difficult and expensive to apply for a gun permit. It’s why many gun owners decide to defy the law.
People living in Mexico often find themselves subjected to the violent drug cartels. Without a lawful option to defend themselves the people are resorting to unlawful methods. Sure, violating the country’s gun control laws could land somebody on the business end of the state’s gun but being unable to defend one’s self could land them in a coffin.
Gun control creates a vicious circle of unlawfulness. Violent criminals, who disregard the law by definition, will arm themselves whether or not guns are made illegal. Armed with their weapons and the knowledge that the gun control laws have reduced the cost of inflicting violence on other individuals these violent criminals will begin to prey on the general populace. Being faced with the state’s violence and violence brought on by non-state criminals individual will have to make a decision: obey the law and hopefully avoid the state’s wrath or disobey the law and hopefully avoid the wrath of non-state criminals. As the state generally proves to be ineffective at defending the people it claims reign over individual will begin leaning more and more towards disobeying gun control laws in order to defend their lives. At that point previously lawful individuals become unlawful, a necessity brought on by gun control laws.
Similar story in India. My friends fathers life was threatened so he decided to get a firearm. Permit process was so lengthy (months or years) that until he got a permit he just bought a gun on the black market. Gun control makes criminals out of the law abiding and does nothing to get rid of the root cause.