To Whom it May Concern,

Within the past decade, I couldn’t help but notice a bit of friction within the United States of America on the controversial issue of gun control. This controversy stems from those who argue that firearms should be banned or restricted, and those who believe firearms should be allowed to those who are licensed. In America, it’s hard to tell someone what’s right and what’s wrong because no matter what you say, someone out of the 318.9 million people will have a counter argument. Although many have already debated this issue in the United States, I would like to discuss to whom it may concern, the topic of gun control in America and all the issues that ensue.

Gun violence is notably the most common form of violence due to firearms being the go to weapon for the modern era. According to The Washington Examiner, “There ha[s] been 13,829,491 background checks conducted this year [2016] as well as 10,466,243 gun sales, both of which are record amounts in a six-month timeframe. The month of June also saw a record high of 2,131,485 background checks”. The standard way of thinking about guns is that they are very dangerous, which they can be, but only in the hands of dangerous people. When people hear the word “gun” they tend to have an exaggerated response. This word has notoriously been given a negative connotation from all the agony and torment “guns” have caused. At the same time I cannot argue with the pain that firearms have caused, I think of a firearm as more of a tool. Some may say take away this tool, and you’ll never have the bad deeds in the first place. The problem with this is that those who really seek to cause others harm will find a way no matter what circumstance. Although I personally prefer to own firearms, something must be done to hinder those who intend to inflict harm.

What we can take advantage of in the world we know today is the implementation of new technologies. Kai Kloepfer, an eighteen year old inventor, may have done just the thing. Kai has seemingly created the “world's safest gun”. How his design works is through fingerprint recognition on the grip of the firearm which means the firearm may only be discharged by the owner. This is helpful to prevent situations such as an officer being disarmed or unsupervised children finding a firearm. Studies show that every thirty minutes, a child is injured or killed by a firearm in the United States. Instead of stricter laws for gun control, the next president should consider pursuing or even funding these new “Smart Firearms” in order to prevent these accidents from happening.

However, not all situations of gun violence are accidents, many are caused by a certain directive to bring harm upon others. I hope that America can find a way to finally put an end to hate crimes without restricting firearms any further than they are now. Do not ban any weapons and keep our rights to a whole assortment of firearms. Surely criminal records should be factored in, in that case I believe guns should be restricted to those who are reckless. I grew up around many firearms, and I’ve shot many at a range. I have been taught how to be safe around firearms and how they work, given that I am a sane person (Or at least I hope so) I find firearms as a technical marvel and honestly, really cool mechanisms.

To the next president I say this, do not restrict guns through legislation any more than they are at this given time, find a new resolution to all of the violence while still granting us our rights. Guns don’t kill people, people who shouldn’t have guns kill people. Whenever a problem like this exists, people tend to blame the first thing in sight, when in reality, what is to blame lies further beneath the surface. Perhaps you could educate America about firearms or take a page out of Kai Kloepfer’s book and conjure up a safer mechanism. All I would like is for there to be a stronger bond of peace in our nation as a whole.

Works Cited

Bandler, Aaron. "Record Number of Guns Sold In 2016." Daily Wire. N.p., 07 July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

"Political Issues of 2016." ISideWith. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Seitz, Dan. "Has This 18-Year-Old Created The World’s Safest Gun?" UPROXX RSS. N.p., 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.