Dear President,

I think there should be more gun control in the United States, because it will decrease the amount of deaths, the second amendment doesn’t give an unlimited right to own guns, and will lead to fewer suicides.

The first reason why I think there should be gun control is because it leads to more homicides. For example the state of Louisiana has the second highest gun death rate in the U.S. Between 1999 and 2013, there was a total of 464,033 gun deaths in the country. David Frum, and CNN contributor stated, "American children under age 15 are nine times more likely to die of a gun accident than children in other advanced wealthy countries, such as New Zealand, United Kingdom, Germany etc. David also said, “About 200 Americans go to emergency rooms every day with gunshot wounds.” According to a Mar. 10, 2016 Lancet study, “Implementing federal background checks could reduce firearm deaths by a projected 56.9%.”

The second reason I think there should be more gun control is because the second amendment doesn't give an unlimited right to own guns. The second 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". Some examples of gun control included criminalizing the transfer of guns to Catholics, slaves, indentured servants, and Native Americans regulating the storage of gunpowder in homes. In the June 26, 2008, District of Columbia et al. v. Heller US Supreme Court majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, "Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.”

The third reason why I think there should be more gun control is because it will decrease the amount of suicides. For example Alaska has the highest suicide death rate in the U.S, and with more gun control these numbers would decrease heavily. Also between 1999 and 2013 there was a total 270,237 firearm suicides in the United States. According to a Mar. 2014, study published in the International Review of Law and Economics, “When gun ownership went down, overall suicide rates went down in the U.S. When a person wants to kill him/herself, it is unlikely that they commit suicide with poison or a knife when a gun is unavailable.”

Chris Rock once said “We don't need gun control, we need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost 5,000 dollars, because if a bullet cost five thousand dollars, we wouldn't have any innocent bystanders.” So therefore these are the reasons why I think there should be more gun control in the United States, and it could also protect the lives of kids that could lead our country in the future.

Sincerely,

Yusuf Ahmed

10th Grade

Saint Paul, MN

‘