Dear Mr./Mrs. Future President,

Even though I am not of age to vote yet, I believe that I am able to comprehend some serious issues that our nation faces. One of these issues is gun rights, which I am a supporter of. Many people argue and have different views on this topic, but I hope that you are for the side of less restricting gun control and laws. These issues relate to me, and many people, across the nation, because I hunt, enjoy the recreational use of firearms, and I keep firearms for self defense purposes. I believe that the gun laws in the USA are unnecessary, need to be loosened, and are impractical.

According to the 2nd amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America, "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 you were to take away our right to bear and keep arms, it would be against what the Constitution says. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “There were 160 active shooter/mass shooting incidents between 2000 and 2013. In all, the shootings produced 1,043 casualties. Of the casualties, 486 people were killed and 557 were wounded. Five of the mass shooting incidents were ended by armed civilians who subdued the shooter. Obviously, if you're confronting someone who is armed, it is much better to be armed (and trained in the use of that firearm) yourself; this would save many more lives than waiting on police.” This information proves that armed civilians can and do stop shootings which saves lives. Lastly, according to the NRA (National Rifle Association) “Murder rates in the USA were 19.3% higher when the Federal ‘assault weapon’ ban was in effect.”

Many people all across America carry and own firearms of all varieties for hunting, recreational, and self defense purposes. People who support gun control think that the problem with gun violence is that too many people have guns. Well, really it is the criminals that are the problem. Banning guns will not stop gun violence. Do you really think that criminals will obey the gun laws? No, they will not, and since they will not, citizens need to be able to protect themselves. According to the NRA, “AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles are not fully-automatic, military grade firearms which they are often claimed to be by gun control supporters and the media. Ammunition magazines that hold more than ten rounds (bullets) are standard equipment for many handguns and rifles that Americans keep for self defense. The Congressionally-mandated study of the federal ‘assault weapon’ ban of 1994-2004 found that the ban had no impact on crime, in part because ‘the banned guns were never used in more than a modest fraction of gun murders (Urban Institute). Rifles of any type are used in only two percent of murders (FBI). Total violent crime has fallen to a 44-year low and murder to an all-time low, while ownership of the firearms and magazines that gun control supporters want banned has risen to all-time highs. (FBI, ATF). This basically means that as the number of people who own guns goes up, the number of homicide goes down. The terrorist attacks in France and Belgium show that gun bans—including those on semi-automatic firearms and standard-capacity-magazines—don’t prevent crime. In both countries, the ownership of firearms, including semi-automatics, is severely restricted.”

In conclusion, as the future President, I hope that you address and take care of the gun laws by loosening them because this issue is very personal to me. I own firearms for hunting, recreational purposes, and self defense. By making it easier to own guns and loosening the restrictions on guns, will only make our nation much safer and protected. Hopefully you will take care of our country and those who live in it.

Sincerely, 

Aidan L., Pennsylvania

Works Cited

http://votesmart.org/

https://newsela.com/articles/overview-guns-in-america/id/19143/

https://www.nraila.org/issues/assault-weapons-large-magazines/

http://www.naturalnews.com