Firearm Education

Dear future President,

My name is Brandon Hague and I go to Clarkston High School. As the election day gets closer and closer, I am sure that more and more people are asking you about the most pressing issues in our country. A large percentage of American citizens love to exercise their 2nd Amendment right. Do you think we should just ignore the 2nd Amendment and throw it away while angering millions of Americans? We may as well abolish of all our Amendments. Our Amendments are what makes the United States of America a special place to live.

Being a police officer, my father made sure that he taught me and my brother proper firearm safety. He knows what improper firearm use can lead to. When I was young my father taught me that I should treat all firearms as if they are loaded, never let the muzzle cover anything that I am not willing to destroy, that I should always be sure of my target and what is behind it, and that my finger should only be on the trigger if I am ready to shoot. When he would take us to the range, or out hunting he watched us like a hawk and made sure that we adhered to those rules. I know that many families have been hurt by firearms. For example, many children are hurt by a firearm when they find on laying around in their parents bedroom and they get curious. But keeping firearms unloaded and out of a child’s reach as well as teaching young children the four rules of firearm safety can and will help prevent tragedies. If a parent teaches their child what a firearm is and what it does, the child won’t feel the need to discover it themselves. This will prevent a major tragedy such as an accidental discharge.

What needs to happen in our country is people need to be educated on firearms whether they are going to be around them or not. They need to know that not everyone who owns a firearm is like a lit match near gasoline. There is nothing more dangerous than operating something that you don’t know how to use. Would you let somebody without a license drive a car on the road? Then why would you let someone who doesn’t know what a firearm is use one? The key to living safely with firearms in our country is being educated on them and the topic.

Sincerely,

Brandon Hague