Dear future President of the United States:

I am an 8th grade student from Harper Park Middle School in Leesburg, Virginia. I am writing to you today to discuss topics that are important to me regarding gun control. I believe you want to make our country a better and safer place, so please consider my opinion.

Today, I wanted to talk about gun control and why I think it’s important to have it. I think it’s important to have gun control because people don’t need access to every type of gun. Some people feel more safe when they have a gun. When someone tries to rob you, wouldn’t you want to have a gun on you? Some people like to hunt animals for food, and it is their right to have a gun. But do they need an automatic weapon? I don’t think so. The federal government has not passed any gun control measures since 1994, and 42 states now allow the possession of assault rifles.

A lot of people think it’s good to have gun control because bad people might get a gun. Especially after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012, where 26 people including kids were killed by an assault weapon. Criminals don’t follow laws in the first place, but if we had more rules I think it would be fine. If we had more rules, like stronger background checks, I think it would reduce the amounts of people getting killed by gun shots. I think it’s fine to have a small gun like a pistol or a hunting rifle, but people shouldn’t be able to have a gun bigger than that.

In conclusion, I think people should be able to use guns if they are trained to do so. The gun seller who illegally sells or trades guns to people who should not have them should get in trouble if they kill or hurt someone with it. The types of guns they sell should be limited to pistols and hunting guns. I do not think anyone should be able to buy automatic weapons. These should be limited to police and the military because again, they are trained to use them.

Thank you,

Ryan P.