Bearing Our Rights
This letter is about the Second Amendment and the right to protect ourselves, along with a second-hand perspective of an immigrant.
Dear Mister or Madame President of the United States:
I come to you with an opinion. I am not a politician, but I am informed. I am not forced to hold my beliefs. I am not as malleable as one might think.
I would like to bring to light my perspectives on gun control and the Second Amendment. I cannot offer groundbreaking statistics or plans, but my thoughts as a citizen. Firstly, I would like to present this statistic. According to the FBI’s 2015 Uniform Crime Report, nearly three times more Americans were killed by knives or other cutting instruments than were shot and killed by long guns. In addition, Breitbart found that twice as many people were bludgeoned to death than killed by rifles. This combats the popular opinion that guns are responsible for the majority of violent deaths in the United States.
The Second Amendment right to arm ourselves protects people’s lives across the United States. In a 2005 poll, 67% of gun owners stated they owned firearms for protection against crime, and Americans used guns to frighten away intruders breaking into their homes about 498,000 times per year. Owning guns and proper usage can ensure the safety of lives. (From justfacts.com, author unknown)
As a young Chinese girl, my mother, who lived in Taiwan, saw all houses around her robbed. The only repellant of crime was the threat of guard dogs, but once inside a house, the robber was free to ransack and leave. I have seen similar situations arise with the lack of guns. For instance, in the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, police officers were forced to flee from the site, unable to save their own lives or the lives of bystanders around them because they could not carry a weapon. (From AWR Hawkins on breitbart.com)
In conclusion, responsible Americans who pass a background check should have the Second Amendment right to carry a firearm. The issue of background checks is extremely valid, as ninety percent of adult murderers have had criminal records as adults. No more should schoolteachers and students be shot down, or unarmed officers be the targets of violent attacks.
Respectfully yours,
Rose G