Dear Mr. President,

My name is Veronica and I am currently in the tenth grade. There are various issues in this country that I believe can and should be fixed; however, I would like to address one in particular: gun control laws and regulations passed by the government. Now before I delve into this highly controversial topic I would like to give some background on the reasons behind my opinions. In my extended family there are law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and army veterans making these issues very important to me.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that there were 11,208 firearm used homicides in 2013. In the same year there were 32,719 deaths due to motor vehicle accidents. If I were an objective average human I would clearly state that getting into a vehicle is a risk whether or not the driver is responsible is irrelevant. That is because if an irresponsible person gets behind the wheel of a car they are dangerous, thus causing a risk to anyone that is driving. If this person was to get into an accident and killed someone they would most likely go to jail. The car would not get a bad reputation because the person who operated it was reckless. This is how the use of guns should be viewed. If a person kills someone with any type of weapon it is the person’s fault not the actual weapon.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary states the definition of a criminal is to be “involving illegal activity : relating to crime.” If the American people accept this definition as true then what is the purpose for these gun laws? Government officials continue to take away our gun rights because they say they want to protect us.  My question to that is, if you are to accept the definition of a criminal, aren’t they just going to avoid the law anyway? They participate in illegal behavior because they have no respect for the law; therefore, the laws only affect the honorable citizens. 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." The Second Amendment is not just for the right to shoot game, but to use it in case the government is taken over by a dictator. The infamous Adolf Hitler once said, "To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens." With severe gun control laws he and the Third Reich were able to start World War II. 

Mr. President, I ask you as a law-abiding citizen to not take away our right to bear arms. It is unconstitutional and as President you are supposed to live by that as it states in your Presidential oath “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Make the right decision.

Sincerely,

Veronica