By definition, gun control is the regulation of the sale and use of firearms. Currently, politics is taken over with arguments over gun control. One side calls for more control, while the other insist their rights are being infringed. I see several problems with this, the biggest being with the term “gun control.” The term is an umbrella term, many call for it, but do not specify their particular desires. Without proper explanation, two sides will never reach an agreement. The term is frightening to some, but full of hope for others. I think we should stop using the term “gun control” to avoid confusion, communicate better, and come to agreements.

Instead of calling for gun control, I encourage people to call for something in particular, like the regulation and/or banning of bump stocks. This helps to avoid confusion, but also forces the person calling for change to become educated on the topic, thus, avoiding the ignorance of the many political arguments.

By doing this, we can more easily understand what someone is referring to or talking about when they call for change. When the term “gun control” is used, it could mean anything from using two hands to the attention of a nationwide banning. When we understand exactly what is being proposed, agreements and the settling of disagreements are easier to achieve.

With the understanding of each others’ wishes, we can better settle disagreement, and come to agreement in a civil manner. We can only hope as citizens that our elected officials are reflecting our wishes in a respectable manner, by better understanding each other, or senators and congressmen can represent their people better.

So again, I call for us to make a conscious effort to stop using the term “gun control” so we can better understand each other and come to agreements, while avoiding confusion.