Dear Future President,

My name is Michael, and I’m a soon to be high school student from Ohio. I have written this letter in order to inform you about the consequences of prohibiting our guns and withering away our Second Amendment rights. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s report on the leading causes of death in 2014, deaths from guns weren’t even in the top ten causes! (deaths from heart disease, tumors, diabetes, Alzheimer's, flu, pneumonia, traffic accidents, and poisoning all had more deaths from 1999 to 2013 than deaths from a firearm) Since deaths from guns are at such a low rate, why should we put even more restriction on them? This could only result in an increased rate of deaths from defenseless victims. Creating laws that prohibit certain guns and restrict our rights to own a gun would severely affect the privacy and safety of our friends and families. Imagine hearing that your house was robbed, but a member of your family was home. They called the police, but could do nothing but hide and fear for their lives while the police came. Someone you knew and cared about had no way out, no protection, and no sense of safety at all. Even with a better police force, it still leaves plenty of time and possibilities to endanger someone you love. Having a firearm in a home would result in safer households, a better sense of security, and a more intimidating consequences for breaking the law. We need to uphold our Second Amendment rights and consider important facts and evidence such as the crime rate compared to the amount of firearms in the area, the deaths from firearms even with gun control, and the power that the people would lose and give to the government. Having a gun would make people feel safe, as well as make them safer as a whole!

The more people who own guns, the less crime there will be. According to Procon.org, when states passed laws that allowed them to carry concealed weapons, the amount of multiple victim shootings decreased by 82 percent! If you were a criminal who intended on breaking the law, would you be scared if you knew someone around you had a form of defense that could easily stop you? In a 2014 survey, 57 percent of people believed that a gun helps them not to be victimized. (ProCon.org) This shows that people feel much safer with a form of close, quick protection to rely on. Without guns, criminals have a much easier job. They won't have to worry about resistance that could be deadly, and they would have much more time to do what they need to.

Even with gun control laws, it will not stop criminals from getting guns or breaking the law. Soon to be shooters would still get away with it if they hadn’t committed any previous crimes. In 49 of the 62 mass shootings from 1982 to 2012, the criminals used LEGALLY obtained guns. This shows that there’s almost no way to tell whether someone will use the gun responsibly or not. This also means that even with background checks, someone could still use a gun inappropriately. Gun control would take away guns from law abiding citizens. Soon to be criminals wouldn’t follow these rules anyway. Did you know that 50,000 guns were recovered in Chicago (a city that banned gun shops, shooting ranges, high magazine clips, and assault weapons) between 2001 and 2012? More than half came from outside Illinois, meaning they would get it even with gun prevention laws. A criminal would find many ways to obtain a weapon or illegal item since they are already breaking the law.

I also fear that if gun laws are placed, our very government, the people who are supposed to allegedly “protect us” , could take full control over us, leaving the people without a say. During the Holocaust, Jews were prohibited from owning a gun in order to make it easier to capture and control them. Although I have great faith in our government, I don’t want to take any chances that may result in tyranny and death. Although I do believe that you should have to be a citizen to obtain a gun, I strongly discourage disallowing somebody a gun based on minor past events. This is where you come in. If you could, please encourage people to live a safer, more confident life knowing that they can protect themselves, as well as receive help from others and our fantastic police force. Please veto or pass future bills passed on from congress within reason to help us keep our rights and to help protect our country.

The Second Amendment makes america a safer, more independent Country. Not only will we be able to protect ourselves, but we can help others as well! If we rely solely on a police force, then what will we do if somehow they can’t get to us in time? Uphold our second amendment and help this great nation to be a more secure, unassailable place.

Sincerely,

Michael