With a rifle in hand and clad in a blaze of orange, sophomore Aaron Ryker watched for squirrels hiding amidst the clusters of leaves as he crouched in the snow with his father seven years ago. Although all of the squirrels evaded their shots, Ryker went home happy, knowing that his first hunting experience had brought him closer to his father.

“Hunting has become a big part of my relationship with my dad,” he said. “It’s  something we share, something we both have in common and both love to do, so being able to share that with him has made us a lot closer. A lot of people may see guns as something that tears people apart instead of bringing them together, but that’s not always the case. When I hunt with my dad, it brings us together because it’s a hobby that we both love.”

However, gun legislation is moving  even now, in a closely divided America. The National Rifle Association (NRA) prepares to host its upcoming annual convention in Indianapolis tomorrow, and recent changes to the school’s gun policies have allowed licensed gun owners to carry firearms into school parking lots. Among these changes, America remains polarized over opinions on gun control. Despite Ryker’s positive views regarding gun usage, 50 percent of Americans favor increased gun control while 48 percent oppose it, according to a 2013 study by the Pew Research Center.

Ryker said  he understands the reasons for opposition to gun usage, especially those regarding the violence that guns can be used for. However, Ryker said it is the wielder of the gun, not the gun itself that should be held responsible.

“Guns can be either beneficial or harmful to society,” Ryker said. “It all depends on the person carrying the gun. I mean, you can get food using guns. You can defend your loved ones. You can use it for recreation, for sport, and unfortunately, you can also kill people using them. That all depends on the person wielding the gun, not the gun itself. People make the conscious decision as to whether they want to hurt someone or not. Guns can’t make that decision, so the guns aren’t the problem. It’s the people who are so sick and violent that they decide that it’s okay to hurt others and bring a bad name to guns and gun users who are actually responsible and good people.”

Senior Nicholas “Nick” Csenar, who also hunts with his family, said he agrees that guns are safe when in the hands of responsible people with good intentions.

“Hunting has taught me a lot about gun safety and gun control and that not everyone’s bad,” Csenar said. “If you know what you’re doing and you have good intentions, guns can be safe and fun and beneficial to society.”

Don Perkins, attendee of the upcoming NRA convention and owner of Bare Arms, a local firearm store in Noblesville, said he too agrees that guns themselves are not responsible for gun violence. Perkins also added that tightening gun regulations would not only hurt his business, but also lead to more gun violence.

“Criminals don’t care about law, or they wouldn’t be classified as criminals, so they’re going to be the only ones who have guns when they keep tightening gun legislation because many of our politicians are trying to create a utopian society that does not exist anywhere in the world,” Perkins said. “When people say they want to restrict guns or maybe even do away with guns completely, they are being overly idealistic. There will always be people with malicious intent that will get their hands on guns despite the law, and we need to be armed in order to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our country from them.”

Ryker said tightening controls may have negative effects, especially in gun-free zones such as schools.

“Schools, I think, are especially vulnerable to gun violence just because they are gun-free zones, so there is no way for people to protect themselves,” Ryker said. “I can’t think of anywhere else where it would be easier for bad guys to come in with guns and do bad things, so I think the school was right in allowing guns in parking lots on school property. Now, we can feel safer.”

William Dowden, legislative director of the Indiana Rifle and Pistol Association, the state-level chapter of the NRA, said tightening gun controls would not only prevent citizens from protecting themselves, but also undermine the second amendment rights granted to citizens by the U.S. constitution.

“It is our right that our forefathers gave us to carry firearms,” Dowden said. “Therefore, the Indiana Rifle and Pistol Association has been very vocal in the preservation of these second amendment rights that we are legally given through the second amendment. We believe that our right to bear arms is one of the most important rights that we have been given, and so it is only right for us to protect our rights and, in turn, our state.”

Allowing licensed gun carriers their right to possess guns, according to Perkins, is only the first step towards reducing gun violence. Perkins said that instead of restricting gun usage, advocating better prosecution of criminals and training for firearm carriers are the best ways to create a safer environment.

“I think the prosecution of our criminals is one way to reduce gun violence in our country,” Perkins said. “Secondly, I think being able to carry (guns) would help create an environment with reduced gun violence. Thirdly, training firearm users is very important.”

Perkins said that, as an owner of a gun store, he too has taken steps towards improving the training of gun bearers by sponsoring NRA classes, providing private training classes to customers and undergoing a “fitting process” for first-time gun owners.

“As a firearm provider, we encourage everyone to be trained,” Perkins said. “For first-time shooters, we don’t recommend that they just come in and buy a gun. We put them through a fitting process, so we spend an hour to an hour and a half with them, teaching them about firearms and finding a firearm that fits them. We don’t just tell them to come and buy a gun. We find a firearm to fit them just like your favorite shoes.”

Guns, Ryker said, are merely tools. It is the person who wields the gun, not the gun itself, that causes violence and therefore, gun training, according to Ryker, is the most effective way to reduce gun violence.

“To me, guns are just a tool. It’s just a bit of metal. You can use them to kill food; you can use them to kill people, but that’s the choice of the person who’s using it, not the gun,” Ryker said. “So, training people who can possess guns can help them make the right choice and choose to use guns for good, not evil.”