Dear Mr. /Mrs. President,

Congratulations on becoming the 45th president of the United States. Our country, more than 318 million lives, are in your hands. As the president, your duty is to make the lives of your citizens more enjoyable, one thing that’s doing exactly the opposite of that is illegal use of firearms. For many years, guns have been a leading cause of over 10,000 deaths per year. “On an average day this year (2015) 36 people were killed by guns, a number that excludes most suicides,” states TheRace.org. They also state that this is a problem that’s not easy to solve, but I have a few ideas on how to lower firearm deaths in the United States.

The first idea is that for no reason should a minor or anyone with any history of any violence in the past 6 months handle a firearm. Also, that no one with a mental illness that could cause them to make a poor choice while handling a firearm. For an ineligible person to come into contact with a firearm, should have the owner of the weapon charged as a federal offence. This would stop some of the accidental and purposeful homicides from a lot of citizens. An ABC News report from 2014 states that around 98 people were killed unintentionally by a child in 2003-2006. That was 10 years ago. A Washington Post report says that in 2015, 265 people were unintentionally killed by children. That’s over a 100% increase in 10 years. This is a problem that needs to be solved.

The second idea is that guns should be stored in a secure locked container unless being used or transported to a gun range or other acceptable location. This would mean less people who might try to access a gun wouldn’t be able to get them, while gun owners still have access to them. Along with this firearms should be under more control so guns stay off the black market or are less abundant in the black market. “In 2015, on average, a toddler in America shoots someone about once a week,” states TheRace.org. If children can’t get to a gun that would already save many lives, just by simply taking five minutes to lock them up in a safe.

Other people may think that guns are the problem and should be made illegal, but if guns were made illegal there would be a massive outbreak of guns from the black market. That’s the last thing we need. People in the black market don’t care who they sell to, they only care about the highest bidder. This could mean a 15 year old who wants a gun for whatever reason could get one if he had enough money. The statistics on the following page show just how much of a problem firearms in the wrong hands are.

In conclusion guns are not the problem. Gun violence is the forever growing problem in the United States, and it needs to be stopped. Taking guns out of the hands of children and mentally ill persons would also help make America a safer place. Also taking five minutes to lock up your firearms could save the lives of innocent children and other citizens of the United States. I hope you will be a president to remember.

Sincerely,

Justin L. from Ohio

Domestic violence assaults with firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than those without them.

On an average day 36 Americans were killed by guns, a number that excludes most suicides.

A toddler shoots someone about once a week in America. This graph explains who is shot and how often.

Red: 19 toddlers have inadvertently killed themselves

Blue: 25 more injured themselves

Yellow: 13 have killed other people

Green: 2 killed other people

These statistics prove how much of a problem guns in the wrong hands can be. I personally don’t think a toddler should even be able to see, let alone touch, a gun. The fact that 36 Americans are murdered by guns in a day is sad. That number should be fewer than 10.