Dear next President of the United States of America,

Despite the fact that I will be underage for this year's election, I still have an opinion on the issues being discussed. Many topics that were discussed through various debates have caught my attention. However, one topic in particular draws my attention most. To me, retaining gun rights and the second amendment is the most important issue in today's society.

First off, guns should not be restricted because they give humans the right to self-defense. George Washington once stated, “A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.” Removing guns from a citizen is doing the opposite of what George Washington desired. Confiscating citizens’ guns would allow many more murders and crimes to occur. Guns prevent many major and minor crimes from occurring. For example, in San Antonio, an off-duty police officer prevented a mass murder by taking down the gunman before he could kill anyone. What would have happened if the off-duty police officer had not owned a gun? Also, a woman named Monica Jones saved a 12 year old neighbor girl from being raped. A man broke into the girl's house and removed her clothing. Before he did anything, Monica Jones had him at gunpoint with her shotgun. Is this not the kind of thing that George Washington wanted? What would have happened to the girl if Monica had been unarmed? Guns should not be taken away because they are the right to self defense.

Furthermore, guns can safely be used in sport and are impossible to ban. After terrorist attacks and murders, more and more people are becoming wary of guns. Organizations are trying to “control” and even ban them. However, shooting is a safe sport that many law-abiding citizens enjoy. There are many gun clubs and ranges where people spend large amounts of money to enjoy this leisure activity. An idebate.org debate argues, “Much like the failure of the prohibition era to stop alcohol consumption, trying to restrict the use of guns that are already widely owned and prevalent in a society is an impossible task.” Even if this was possible to do, the cost will be significant. This will dig deeper into the great hole of United States debt. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence suggests to just take away assault weapons. However, according to Adam Winkler, a Los Angeles Times writer, “ . . . we already know that banning assault weapons won't reduce gun crime or deaths.” In addition, Mr. Winkler states, “They're ‘semi-automatic’ — a technical term that applies to the way rounds are chambered, not to the way the guns shoot. Many handguns are semi-automatic too. Military-style rifles fire only one round for each pull of the trigger, just like a revolver, a shotgun, a hunting rifle or any other of the 300 million legal guns in America.” Mr. Winkler also wrote, “It's true that these rifles are often sold with detachable high-capacity ammunition magazines that increase their lethality, enabling a shooter to fire more than a dozen rounds quickly . . . But again, these firearms are not unique in this. About half the handguns in the U.S. also have detachable high-capacity magazines.” Adam Winkler is stating that a ban on assault weapons will do nothing to help prevent gun violence. Instead of controlling guns, we need to control the criminals. Moreover, a debate on idebate.org states, “The people who intend to use guns for illegitimate purposes are obviously unconcerned with the fact that it is illegal to acquire the guns in the first place.” The criminals who perform illegal actions do not care that what they are doing is illegal.

In addition, banning gun rights may only be the start. Terrorists and organizations are the primary cause of this charge to eliminate the second amendment. Recent terrorist attacks make people doubt the need for assault weapons. However, assault weapons are not really any different than a revolver or a shotgun. The second amendment says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” If we restrict these rights, are we still the United States of America that the founding fathers laid out? I fear that if we proceed with eliminating the second amendment, the freedom of religion, speech, press, and many other of our rights that we hold dear may be abolished as well. Is the United States any more free than any other countries if we continue to curb the rights that make us unique? I believe that we should stick true to the America that we were originally created to be. In fact, Thomas Jefferson stated, “Tyranny is defined as what is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.” Making guns illegal for citizens but legal for the government is the kind of tyranny that Thomas Jefferson, a founding father, defined.

Lastly, when presented with the facts, people realize the necessity of guns. According to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, “ . . . 3 percent of criminals who use guns get them legally . . .” This proves that illegal people perform illegal actions. Before a debate was conducted on idebate.org, 70% of people were against the right to have guns. However, after the facts were presented only 14% of people remained against the right of guns. According to NewsELA, “Two state senators [were] recalled after stiffening Colorado’s gun control laws.” These senators were trying to “control” the guns of the citizens even though the people didn’t want that. The vote came out to 51-49% for one senator, and 56-44% for the other. Both were then removed from office and replaced. This proves that people want their gun rights, and the government shouldn’t interfere with them.

In conclusion, next President, you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You will make a decision that will either keep America the way the founding fathers had it set up or change it to the way the government wants it. You have the choice--government or people? Please, next President, preserve the America that our founding fathers set up, by maintaining the second amendment and protecting guns. Please save the America, the nation I call home, that the founding fathers set up.

Sincerely,

Lucas C., Pennsylvania