Dear Future President,

Gun violence happens everyday in this country. Each day there are 90 people on average that are killed by guns  in all ages. There are millions of guns sold every year and 40% of guns are sold without background checks. According to bradycampaign.org, “In America, 1 out of 3 homes with kids have guns and nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with an unlocked or loaded gun”. This is dangerous because every year on average there are 2,624 children and teens who die by guns. Mass shootings are also happening every year in places such as schools, workplaces, churches, and public places etc. Controlling guns is a very important thing to do right now. There are many people who have died in the past and present because of guns and it will continue to happen in the future if guns are still in the people’s hands. Guns should be taken away from the people. Only police officers should have guns. (http://www.bradycampaign.org/key-gun-violence-statistics)

Guns should be banned because there are too many cases of mass shootings in this country. In the past ten years from 2006 to 2016 mass shootings  happened 28 times in workplaces, worship places, schools, and public places. The number of people who died by mass shootings in the past ten years is 289. (http://timelines.latimes.com/deadliest-shooting-rampages/) Also according to CBS News the total rate of firearm deaths worldwide is 10.2% in America, 2.3% in Canada, and 1.0% in Australia for 2010. (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-u-s-gun-deaths-compare-to-other-countries/) This shows that every year there are people being killed by mass shootings in all different places but in America there is a higher rate of deaths compared to other countries. America had 10 times more people killed by guns than other countries. If we do not take guns away from people’s hands, the number of people that will die will not stop. According to gunpolicy.org the number of deaths by guns has increased almost every year since 1999. If we do not do something, these deaths will continue to be more every year. 

There are many mass shootings including ones in schools. These cause parents to be worried and students feel alarmed everyday. The mass shootings have been happening in schools in this country for the past 85 years. From 1927 to 2012 there had been ten deadly school  shootings in this country. They caused 161 people to die including different age children, adult workers, teachers and their families. (http://www.inquisitr.com/441261/ten-deadliest-school-massacres-in-united-states-history/). Mass shootings also cause students to be alarmed and scared. Not just the students are alarmed but their parents will be worried about them too. They will be scared that one day police will come to their home and tell them of the death of their child when they were in school. But if we ban all guns all of those things will not happen. They can all be relieved to let their child go to school to learn but also to be safe.

Guns should be banned because it is too easy for someone who is dangerous or mentally ill to get a gun. The facts show in America  guns are very easy to buy if people regularly buy guns. “A background check is conducted only in store purchases… If a purchaser has been convicted of a felony, or misdemeanors with sentences exceeding two years, or has been declared "mentally defective" by a court, then he or she won't pass the background check….” But, only 1% of people fail the background check, which means almost all people who try to buy guns are successful. (http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/19/news/guns-background-checks/) The evidence shows that in America buying a gun is a very easy thing to do - not like other countries. For example in China you cannot buy a gun legally if you are not a police officer. So like other countries the rate of people who die from guns is not as high as in America. Every day in America people die or are injured by guns. In America, if you are a citizen and stay one year you can buy a gun legally. Banning guns is a thing that we need to do to stop people from having guns and killing people.

Some people may think that solving the terrorism issue is more important than gun violence. However, in the past few years the number of deaths from terrorist attacks is much lower than from gun violence.  In the past ten years only 24 Americans have been killed by a terrorist attack but   280,024 Americans have been killed by gun violence including suicides, homicides, and shootings by police. (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/oct/05/viral-image/fact-checking-comparison-gun-deaths-and-terrorism-/) These facts show that we should be more worried about gun violence than terrorist attacks. There were 280,000 more people who died from gun violence than terrorism! So, a ban on guns is a much more important issue for America to solve than terrorism.

Guns should be taken away from people and only police officers should use guns. This is important because evidence shows that guns have caused  a high death rate in America. Right now there are approximately 283,000 guns in citizen's hands. How many of these will cause the death of a child or an innocent adult? As our next President, I ask you to please stop the death of American people and ban guns as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Yongxin Lin