Freedom, violence and safety are concepts that we hold to great importance in our society. Two weeks after President Barack Obama announced his new gun safety bill and while the gun safety bills are being discussed on the news and in Congress, let’s remind ourselves of both sides of the argument.

In a utopia there would be no guns. There would be no weapons or forms of harming each other. We wouldn’t need to protect ourselves from potential harm or intruders. We would have the freedom to do what we wanted when we wanted to do it. In this utopia even the thought of harming another wouldn’t exist.

We do not live in a utopia; we live in reality, which means we have to think realistically. Guns are real and they are part of our society. There are Americans that own guns and have them physically in their hands, and it is impossible to literally take those guns out of their hands for a few reasons.

First of all, our government is a democratic republic ruled by the people of the United States. In order for anything to happen, the people have to call for it to happen. If there are enough people yelling to keep guns in our society, then the representatives must listen.

A reason for people to insist that guns should stay in our community is that gun ownership represents a real form of the Second Amendment to some Americans. The Second Amendment can be and is interpreted by a large portion of our country as the right to protect themselves. The text of the Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Because these people can feel the gun in their hand as a physical symbol of freedom, protection, or safety, it becomes that much more meaningful to them.

When someone can hold a real item in their hand, the reality of it makes the person’s awareness of the item that much stronger. It’s like when someone doesn’t like the idea of street-cart hot dogs. In theory, they are gross and most people would rather just not think about it, but once they’ve tasted the hot dog, the theory doesn’t matter to them any more.

Because there is such a strong attachment to guns, there will undoubtedly emerge a black market for guns if they are ever taken away. Just because we make something illegal doesn’t mean it will just go away. Is it not better to have government regulations of guns because it would be similar to having no laws at all.

An example of this could be alcohol, a substance that many college students are familiar with. If young adults do drink when it is illegal, they typically binge drink. This increases health risks. Once alcohol becomes legal, it is generally less exciting to drink; it is less likely that older adults will binge drink. However there are still limits on what you can and cannot do while intoxicated; these laws are there to provide safety to the community.

The bills being discussed are not threatening to take guns away from gun owners, because that is simply impossible. They are just making the laws stricter to obtain one. The government is trying to decipher between “good guys” and “bad guys.”

It is almost impossible to distinguish between good people and bad people – especially throughout the country — but what other choice does the government have? Guns, if put into the wrong hands, can cause great damage. It’s not that guns kill people, and it’s not that people kill people; it’s the combination of both guns and the wrong people that can kill people. We have seen examples of this recently with the Connecticut school shooting along with other memorable shootings in the past.

The criteria to determine who gets a gun is the most controversial part. Making more licenses and permits merely says that whoever can jump through the most hoops can have a gun. Does jumping through hoops prove reason, intelligence of the law, or sound mind enough to possess a weapon?

As we discuss gun safety for our nation we should keep individual greed and power out of mind while keeping safety and moderation in mind. Remember not to just voice your opinion of how you wish to live your life but how you think Americans should be able to live their lives.

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Claire Yetley is a junior in political science from Iowa City, Iowa.