Dear Our Future President,

Gun control in America has recently become a big topic and a problem in American politics because of the amount of deaths related to firearms in America. Anyone over the age of 18 who passes a gun safety test can buy a long gun such as a rifle. You must be 21 or older to buy a handgun because they are considered deadlier due to their mobility. I believe that America should have stricter laws that prevent people who want to do evil from purchasing firearms. Also, gun shops should have better gun safety tests that check a person’s mental health and teaches the person how to handle a gun safely and correctly.

In 2010, 3,459 people under the age of 21 died from gun-related injuries. Of these deaths, 936 of them were suicide, 150 were unintentional, and 2,329 were homicides. These 936 suicides could have been prevented if the person’s mental health had been checked before they were allowed to purchase their firearm. The 150 unintentional shootings could’ve been prevented if the person had been shown how to use a gun properly and carry it correctly. It is important to acknowledge that we don’t know the exact stories in these deaths. Someone might say that in America we have the freedom to own firearms. There is nothing wrong with owning a firearm, but when you're using it for bad purposes then it becomes an issue.

There have been many stories about innocent people being shot by crazy people with access to firearms. Dwyane Wade’s cousin who lived in Chicago was just recently shot by accident. The man that shot her was trying to shoot somebody else and had been to prison before. Another example of innocent people being killed with guns was the church in Charleston, South Carolina. A man named Dylann Roof walked into a church carrying a loaded firearm and shot nine people. One of the problems with this issue was that he was able to own a gun legally, even though he’d been arrested that same year for possessing drugs. In 2015, for every 100,000 people, 10.3 people were killed by guns. Also, 756 American children died from gun wounds. It is true that accidents do happen, but I believe that at least a fourth of these deaths could’ve been prevented.

Another issue caused by guns is the increase in suicide rates. The majority of suicides committed have been done with guns. In 2013, 60% of Americans who died from guns was suicide. The suicide rates from firearms have gone up 13% from 2007 to 2013. According to the Center for Disease Control in 2013, suicide was the second most common cause of death for people between the ages 15 and 34. The organization also said that it is the 10th most common cause of death across all ages. It is important to acknowledge that we don’t know what these people were going through and what their life was like before their suicide. If guns were kept out of these people’s hands there might have been a different result in terms of how long they lived.

Sincerely,

Carl Lowe III

Work Cited

“Dwyane Wade Mourns Cousin, Urges Tougher Gun Laws in Chicago.” Sports, usatoday, 2 Sept. 2016, http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2016/09/02/nba-star-dwyane-wade-chicago-needs-tougher-gun-laws/89762356/.

By Contrast the United States Has the 26th Highest Suicide Rate (12.3 Suicides per 100,000 People in 2011) and the Highest Gun Ownership Rate (88.8 Guns per 100 People). [44] [45] Jim Barrett, Author for TheTruthAboutGuns.com, Stated,. "Gun Control - ProCon.org."ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

@JenniferMascia. “15 Statistics That Tell the Story of Gun Violence This Year.”The Trace Comments, 6 July 2016, https://www.thetrace.org/2015/12/gun-violence-stats-2015/.

Sanger-katz, Margot. “Gun Deaths Are Mostly Suicides.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html.

“Guns in America: For Every Criminal Killed in Self-Defense, 34 Innocent People Die.” Washington Post, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/19/guns-in-america-for-every-criminal-killed-in-self-defense-34-innocent-people-die/.

“Can Someone Possess a Gun after a Criminal Conviction? | Nolo.com.”Nolo.com, http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/can-someone-possess-gun-after-criminal-conviction.html.

“Minimum Age.” Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, http://smartgunlaws.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/consumer-child-safety/minimum-age/.

By contrast the United States has the 26th highest suicide rate (12.3 suicides per 100,000 people in 2011) and the highest gun ownership rate (88.8 guns per 100 people). [44] [45] Jim Barrett, author for TheTruthAboutGuns.com, stated. “Gun Control - ProCon.org.” ProConorg Headlines, http://gun-control.procon.org/.