November 2, 2016

Dear President:

On average, 44 people are shot in America every day. How many of those guns were not legally registered? Gun violence is a major problem in the United States today. It is unacceptable to ignore it. The lives of all people matter, and loose gun laws don't help. According to Reference.com, there are about 16,238 shootings in the U.S. per year. For example, reports in Chicago, Illinois became so frequent, that they stopped reporting it. According to a very recent report by a Chicago crime statistic website, Heyjackass.com, someone is shot every two hours in the city of Chicago. Today in the America, it is too easy for known felons, and people with bad intentions, to acquire firearms. Licensing and registration of firearms should be a requirement in every state regardless of location and crime rate to ensure individual and public safety and security.

The main reason that gun violence is a problem in some states, is because gun registration is sometimes not required by law. This means that no one will know if the firearm has been stolen or sold. Therefore, they can't track the owner of the gun and if he is should own the gun legally. This raises issues about who the owner is and whether or not he is knowledgeable towards proper usage and laws regarding the firearm. In an article courtesy of theblaze.com, a graphic shows where gun registration laws are enforced. Surprisingly, only 5 states have registration laws, Hawaii being the most cautious saying that both handguns and long guns must be registered. Also, New York only has registration laws regarding assault rifles. Thanks to stats from Khon2.com, We can compare New York to Hawaii, and find that Hawaii has the lowest shooting rate in the country while New York has the third lowest shooting rate. You can add them up and find that they are not even close to the shooting rate of Alaska, Louisiana, and Alabama which are the highest ranking number of gun deaths, and also have no laws whatsoever regarding firearm registration. There should be at least handgun registration in every state. Also, every firearm carrier should complete gun safety and have a valid license somewhere so that they can prove that they have completed the courses and are knowledgeable of the gun laws that they must follow. This system would be similar to the midwestern driving laws. There would be a class you must complete. Then, if you are the owner of a gun, you must have a valid license to own the firearm(s) in question. If you are openly carrying a gun, you must have the license on you and must prove that you are a responsible gun owner.

Another view one might have is that everyone should be allowed to openly carry or own a gun without the government interfering. This is in essence, the second amendment, or the right to bear arms. This is a more liberal view and is dangerous and risky. Those who oppose gun control use the Paris and San Bernardino shootings as examples of when civilians need self defense. However, some civilians either might not know what qualifies as self defense, or they don't care. The fact that if you have a gun on you, you are more likely to use it is obvious. Nonetheless, some people think they can control themselves when they cannot. An example of this is the recent reports of policemen shooting Innocent people. It is my belief that the police did not have bad intentions, however some have shot innocent people and were tried in a court of law and some were imprisoned. Police are rigorously trained to detect criminal behavior and some were wrong and used their weapon. If the law enforcement can't determine who is bad and who is good or decide when to use self defense, then it is inevitable that multiple civilians are going to fire without unshakable reason. A journalism site called mother jones claims that there are over 30 million people in the U.S. who are mentally ill or simply crazy. If one of these people got their hands on a gun and went anywhere there is sure to be multiple injuries, if not fatalities. More guns circulating freely means higher suicide rate. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14 million American adults In a given year. The knowledge of having a gun in a room when you are near suicidal is crushing. The pressure is there and it is dark. A recent study from CDC.gov, a health site, the number of firearm suicides is 21 thousand per year. Firearm suicides are the most common form of self-murder. If there are more guns laying around homes, the pressure to use the gun in any way will be greatly increased.

Similar to driving laws, gun laws should be a privilege and not a right. Not everybody can handle the power of a firearm. What the next president must do is to consider the future of the nation and what is best for all peoples safety and security. There must be tighter gun regulations including registration and licensing. Make the future of America great again.

Sincerely,

 Mason M