November, 1 2016

Dear Future President,

Imagine a world. A world in which people kill one another just for the hell of it. A world in which a human life means nothing but a gunshot. That is our current world, and no one will open their eyes to realize it. Gun violence is a terrible plague that has infected our country. It is truly disgusting watching human beings turn on each other, when there could be a solution. The future president will need to be doing more to resolve the issue. Background checks and other strict laws need to be put in place before our country goes down in flames.

I am taking this position for the lost lives. The lives of people who have died in mass shootings that could have been avoided by simple background checks and much stricter gun laws. Shortly after the Sandy Hook shooting, President Obama attempted to pass new legislations in which a ban on semi-automatic rifles, and background checks for all purchases of firearms. “Because while there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of evil, if there’s even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try” (Barack Obama). It’s amazing that Obama was attempting to prevent another tragedy, yet there are people who are pushing to end these laws. It’s as if they’re not even thinking about the 20 children who died at the hands of a man who should not have been able to obtain a gun. This connects to the thesis is the idea of hypotheticals. If there were stricter laws and If there were stronger background checks, our country would not be in the position of losing the lives of innocents so frequently.

The position of anti-guns is very simple. It is the idea that if we enhance security we save lives. Throughout all the research done for this essay, the statistics of the matter have made it very clear. “Developed countries with more guns generally have more homicide; states within the US with more guns have more homicide; people with access to guns — particularly women — are more likely to be victims of homicide than those without access” (Lopez). There is no way that the evidence could be said more blatantly. Easy access to guns=homicides and mass shooting. It’s so simple yet Americans cling to their guns with their thick skulls and veto laws that could save lives. “Of the 143 guns possessed by the killers, more than three quarters were obtained legally. The arsenal included dozens of assault weapons and semi-automatic handguns with high-capacity magazines. Just as a perpetrator used a .40-caliber Glock to slaughter students in Red Lake, Minnesota, in 2005, so too did the one in Aurora, along with an AR-15 assault rifle, when blasting away at his victims in a darkened movie theater. In Newtown, Connecticut, the attacker wielded a .223 Bushmaster semi-automatic assault rifle as he massacred 20 school children and six adults”(Follman, Aronsen, Pan). The evidence isn’t “circumstantial”. The evidence is very clear that with the way things are currently going, mass shootings are an obvious outcome. The only thing that can help prevent future fatalities is a change in our government.

If I had to consider the other side of the story I’m sure that others would begin with the argument that “people should be allowed to protect themselves”. I would then address that opposition with the point that if the access to guns was restricted there would be no need to protect yourself with a gun in the first place. This idea of restricted gun access will abolish any need for guns in a home. “Eight days later, Senate Democrats tried to push through a set of legislation to expand background checks to gun shows and Internet sales, and prevent anyone on the U.S. terror watch list from purchasing guns. The measures were quickly killed by the Republican-controlled Senate”(Chinchilla/Green). This is just another barrier to the safety of the US. Finally, what is needed to be said is that without the restrictions on gun control from the government, the massacres and homicides will continue.

With the progression of government restriction on firearms in the US, the future president will hopefully alleviate homicides and mass shootings from weapons gained legally. There is a direct correlation in the country between access to guns and the shootings within a state. My position is the only logical point because it has strong evidence and proof behind it. I want the future president to put up the strongest fight possible against the republican party to save our nation.

Sincerely,

Courtney 

Citations:

Chinchilla, Mariah. Green, Matthew. “Loaded: A Brief History of Gun Control in America”

KQED News. Web. 24 June. 2016.

Follman, Mark. Aronsen, Gavin. Pan, Deanna. “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America” Mother

Jones. Web. 24 September. 2016.

Lopez, German. “America's Gun Problem, Explained” Vox. Web. 28 September. 2016.

Obama, Barack. “President Obama’s remarks on new gun control actions (Transcript)”. The

Washington Post. Web. 16 Jan. 2013