Dear next President,

I know our country is experiencing a lot of problems at the moment, but a very certain problem sticks out to me. That problem is public knowledge on gun safety. I believe teaching the public more about guns will limit gun deaths. My ideas are that our government should make gun classes mandatory when people buy guns and children should be taught more about guns.

Most children only know guns from video games, tv, and movies. These movies make most children think that handling a gun is easy. This can create serious accidents and possibly kill the child. This year, 588 children (11 and under) accidentally shoot and kill themselves by mishandling firearms according to the Gun Violence Archive. My idea is that schools should teach kids how to handle guns. This can and will cut down child gun deaths and save the next generation of youth.

My second reason why gun safety classes should be mandatory is that up to 505 people this year have accidentally killed themselves when they thought the gun was unloaded according to the CDC . People think that even when a gun safety is on, the gun cannot fire. This was misinformation that 52 people learned this year when handling a gun. A gun can in fact fire a bullet even if the gun is on safety. If people could have just taken a gun safety class, these types of accidents would have been prevented.

My third reason why people should take gun safety classes is that people accidentally shoot other people when firing at a different target. Most people think bullets can travel right through an object but in fact, the bullet can ricochet. For example, a man in Georgia was in the process of having his car stolen when he took out his gun and fired. The bullet accidentally hit a woman passing by and she died immediately. These tragedies count as an accidental misfires and is unknown how many people die every year from this rare event.

In conclusion, public should know more about guns. Future president, I think you should pass legislation in order to teach people how to use guns and make gun safety lessons mandatory when you purchase a firearm because too many people are dying each year from accidental gun deaths.

From,

Kieren, 7th grade student