Dear Mr. or Madam President,

First of all, let me say congratulations. You have made it through the most chaotic and brutal election in American history and emerged victorious. Your perseverance and dedication is admirable.

Now comes the hard part: leading our country. I believe one of the most important issues you must face is security of our people, and I hope you find the compassion in you to care for the security of all other people around the world as well. Our main problem is domestic terrorism and violence, a consequence of inadequate gun control laws and a lack of focus on mental health issues. The number of mass shootings in America is both horrifying and embarrassing—according to CNN, the US has 5% of the world's population, but we carry out 31% of public mass shootings. And our problem is only escalating; of the 30 deadliest shootings in the US since 1949, 16 have occurred in the past 10 years.

What can you do about this, you may ask? First, we need gun control. According to BBC News, in 2012, 60% of homicides in the US were by firearm, compared to 31% in Canada, 18.2% in Australia, and 10% in the UK. Many people, possibly even you, believe that “the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” This has been proven false time and again. I understand that it is our Second Amendment right to bear arms, but we must keep in mind that this is from a document written 200 years ago—for the sake of the wellbeing of our nation, we need to reconsider how we interpret this amendment through a 21st-century lens. Intensive background checks should be enforced, and you must address the mental health problems of our nation. We must have background checks to ensure that only mentally-sane people are buying guns. We must provide better institutions and better care for people needing mental health care. By addressing both of these pressing issues, you can significantly improve the safety of your people.

I wish you luck in your presidency, and I pray that you are able to lead our country in the right direction.

Sincerely,

Erin Morgan