By comparison, long guns served many purposes. Early settlers often had to hunt for their food. To take their guns would mean that they would risk starvation. They were also used for defense, and early skirmishes of the Revolutionary War were fought by militiamen - private citizens who brought their own long guns to fight the British.
One of the strongest arguments against laws restricting handguns come from those who believe there should be no restrictions whatsoever on firearms. They argue that those who argue against handguns have a hidden agenda. They argue that people against handguns actually want to ban all guns for all purposes, including for target practice and hunting. They feel that they must fight restrictions on any guns to protect their Constitutional right to bear arms. However, this argument doesn't make sense to most people. Many people who are opposed to private individuals owning hand guns recognize...
However, those who object to any restrictions also point out that some people also want to ban assault weapons, which some also see as weapons really only intended to kill other humans.
The problem with individuals owning handguns is that very often they are stolen and then sold to criminals. In addition, the most common use for guns in homes is, unfortunately, that it is used against a family member during a heated argument. Very often when a home owner tries to use a gun to protect him or herself, the criminal, who has more experience with using force to get his way, manages to get the weapon from the homeowner, increasing the homeowner's danger. To stem the tide of guns in the hands of criminals, and because handguns do not actually make good personal protection, hand guns should be restricted to law enforcement personnel.
