Dear Future President,

Guns are dangerous weapons that were created to take lives. They were developed for wars and violence. Even though firearms can be used as a tool to protect you and your loved ones, guns have become a symbol of fear and death. I sincerely believe that restrictions on gun are needed and should be encouraged. I don’t mean to take away any individual’s rights at all, just to keep the majority safe from gun violence. The second amendment has for generations been loosely interpreted to mean that everyone has the right to own a gun. This is not entirely true, as the amendment states, “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”. The amendment speaks of a “militia” and the “right of the people” not of each individual. The amendment was made at a time when Militia were needed and when America was being attacked by the French and British. The law was made so the states as a whole had a right to defend themselves. It is a stretch to want to change the amendments for the new times, I know, but hopefully America will not be bound by out of date laws for much longer. Even if people, as individuals, are allowed to own guns some restrictions are necessary. Assault rifles are just that, “assault” rifles. If a civilian is owning a gun it's primarily for self defense, why do they need to own a weapon made for attacking and efficient killing? Assault rifles are not for hunting or protection, they are made to fire vast quantities of bullets in a short amount of time with detachable magazines, which house the bullets. The weapon was created for military use in WWII. The weapon was never made for civilian hands. Banning assault weapons will help decrease gun violence tremendously. A person should also go through a thorough background check as well as a health check up. Although many people who own guns are very nice and respectable people, many are not. The gun show loophole should also be fixed as there is no time to check the buyer when the gun is given at purchase. Perhaps there should be a five business day wait before delivery to their home, something to give the authorities time to check if the buyer is qualified to own the gun. Recently police violence has become a large issue as well. Why is it that the first response to a seemingly dangerous target is to pull out a gun? Why not the officer’s taser? A taser would neutralize the target at a range of 35 feet away. If the range is the problem create a longer range gun, surely the military has enough funds. If they are in extreme cases train the police to shoot non-vitals like the arm holding the gun or their foot, bottom line don't go straight for the vitals. A point I would also like to make is that the police are trained for these situations. Yes, everyone feels fear, everyone gets scared but the police are trained to deal with those situations, that is their job. Guns are creating more problems than they are solving for our country. Gun purchase should be restricted and the police force should have other methods than just shooting the target.

Sincerely,

Kaitlyn Tooker