Dear Next President,

Congratulations on winning the 2016 presidential election. The campaign has been like a never-ending tunnel. It was difficult to not give into the pressure and suspend your campaign. But you saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and continued to fight, and continued to stand for what you believe in, and eventually won the election. It is a honor to call you the president of the United States.

I am writing you today to call to action the issue of gun control. This controversial topic has split the country into two: those for and those against gun control. So you, as the next president, must make a tough decision that no matter what, will keep the country divided. I classify myself as neither Republican nor Democrat and would like to present a solution that satisfies both groups. Do not ban weapons, but just have a very strict background check. This includes banning the purchase of arms at places that “under the table”, such as gun shows.

It is obvious that something needs to change in America. There seems to be a story on the local news everyday that includes a firearm. According to Just Facts, there were 9,675 murders committed with a gun in 2014. With most of these cases, the murderers shouldn’t have even been able to get a gun. Many had criminal records or were even on the FBI’s watchlist. If there would have been a strict background check, thousands of lives could have been spared. About one-sixth of those killed by a gun were children. Imagine back to when your children were in elementary school. How do you think you would react if one day, you received a phone call saying there has been a school shooting at their school? Would you cry, ask questions, hang up the phone in disbelief? It’s pretty hard to imagine, but this is the phone call thousands of parent go through per year. Thus, something must be done to prevent this phone call from being made.

There are many people who argue it is a constitutional right to be able to own a gun. I want to make it clear that my solution would not get rid of guns, it would just make the process of purchasing a weapon longer, as long as you are clean. Also, the second amendment says “a well regulated militia” has the right to bear arms. Depending on how you interpret it, it isn’t necessarily true that everyone has the right to own a gun. However, it is unfair to ban weapons from people who use them for the right purposes, such as hunting. Therefore, we cannot ban guns, but we also cannot let just anyone get one.

Once again, congratulations on the presidency. I wish you the best of luck through the next four years.

Regards,

Matt Williamson