Gun Control Laws Should Be Made Stricter
There are many dangers of the wrong people getting their hands on a gun. More gun control laws aren't necessary, but should be made more strict.
Dear President,
There are many issues in the United States that are causing harm. I personally think that one of the main issues that have to be resolved is gun control. There are many people that die because of firearms, not just from mass shootings. When I was looking at one of the letters, the author had said, “I remember the time and place I was at when I heard about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. It upset me for days and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Our government did absolutely nothing after that. Over the course of time, more shootings started showing up on the news. One in a naval shipyard and other in schools across the country. I used to be thoroughly upset for days about the most recent shooting, but now when I hear about one, I think ‘Another mass shooting. Why doesn’t someone do something?’(November 3, 2016)”
Guns were generally made for self-defense and hunting. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "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." But instead, people are using guns to harm or kill other people for no good reason. Using firearms as self-defense is reasonable and acceptable, but most of these homicide cases do not include self-defense, and these murders occur because of pure hatred or mental issues. There is no good reason to do that, but these incidents happen, and people in the United States are 10 times more likely to be killed by guns, according to CBS News, (February 13, 2016).This should be changed, and there are many different solutions that other countries have tried, and worked effectively and efficiently.
Let’s look at the murder rate of firearms in Japan, a country which nearly eliminated homicides caused by people with firearms. According to a Business Insider study in April 11, 2014, , fewer than 1 person is murdered for every 100,000 people in the population. Whereas in the United States, there are 4.8 people murdered for every 100,000 people. Business Insider also states that 1 in 175 households in Japan own guns, in comparison to 1 in 3 households in the United States. But why is Japan’s murder rate so low? As reported by Seeker Daily, on August 11, 2016, one of the reasons why there are very little murders in Japan is because there are 95% confessions acquired and 98% homicide cases solved there.
As stated by The Atlantic on July 23, 2012,“To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you’ll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don’t forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to retake the class and exam every three years.”, paragraph 7, whole paragraph.
Japan isn’t the only country with very strict rules to prevent shooting deaths. For example, Shawn S., someone who wrote a letter to the president on November 3, 2016, , says that Australia banned semi-automatic and assault weapons in 1996, and after two decades, the country hasn’t seen a single mass shooting. Shawn also states that in the United States, a bill that prevented people on the terrorist watch list from legally purchasing any firearms was rejected. If the people of the country want to be safe, why would terrorist suspects be able to buy weapons that can be used to harm US citizens?
When you become president, you can make a difference by using the strategies that were used by other countries that worked. These changes can include precautions that make sure guns don’t get in possession of people that have any criminal records or mental issues, assault weapon bans to stop people from having better weapons than the police, and shooting range tests can prevent people from accidentally harming or murdering someone. Maybe propose a bill of not letting people on the terrorist watch list from legally purchasing guns. Make laws enforcing gun control stricter. Hopefully, these changes would make a safer and better future for the United States.
Sincerely,
Naoya M.
Links:
https://letters2president.org/letters/10395
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-u-s-gun-deaths-compare-to-other-countries/
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-japans-murder-rate-is-so-low-2014-4