Dear Future President,
I’m sure you are aware of the gun violence that takes place in our country every day, yet no one will enforce gun laws or make a difference. According to The Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence, about 100,000 people in the United States alone are shot every year, which is 289 a day, or 1 every 5 minutes. These shootings need to stop because if we keep allowing access to guns, it could be me that is shot or someone I know, which I don’t want to happen. If anyone is to have these dangerous weapons, it is the police. Other than that, no one else should be allowed to purchase a gun. The reason police shoot is to save their lives because someone has a gun and it’s a deadly weapon. No access to guns, fewer deaths. You are probably wondering why I think this along with a lot of other people; you’ll soon find out.
My first reason on why I think gun violence/access to guns needs to be abolished is because guns aren’t the way to deal with problems. If we didn’t have guns, people might start to work deep issues out instead of just shooting. Also, if they are having trouble personally, they know they can’t just hurt a person out of anger or a large group of people. In the Bible, Matthew 26:52, it says ““Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Here Jesus is telling us that violence,(not guns in this situation) isn’t right and ultimately will cause more violence and problems. You could counter my argument by saying people will find other ways to kill or people will never work out problems. This is true, but, wouldn’t you think there would be a lot less deaths in the country and the world? It takes a longer time to kill without a gun, giving someone more time to escape. Overall, guns aren’t the way to deal with problems.
My next reason on the topic is mass shootings. Every time there is a mass shooting in the country, the country takes a hit and gains another bruise. I think we’ve had enough bruises and now it’s time to heal and stop mass shootings. The NYtimes says, “more than one a day. That is how often, on average, shootings that left four or more people wounded or dead this year in the United States.” This was in 2015, so only a year ago. I’m sure the situation hasn’t gotten any better this year. You could say that mass shootings don’t happen that often. I think you are wrong because according to the NYtimes, more than once a day. As a country, we can think back to Sandy Hook and the tragedy that took place there. Innocent kids, bright futures ahead, and all because of a gun, futures down the drain. Putting things into perspective, it could be our school, our community, and this will surely affect you to stand up for the idea that we need to stop access to guns. In conclusion, mass shootings do happen and need to be stopped, but, in order to achieve this goal, we must limit access to guns.
My final reason on why I think gun violence needs to be stopped is the effect it has on me, my community, and for sure yours future president. Recently where I live, we had riots because of shootings. A police officer shot a man who had a gun. Also, according to wcnc.com, “ ... police confirmed an elementary school teacher died Wednesday as a result of injuries she suffered after being shot by a robber on Friday.” This is a school that is in the county right next to us! It could be me, and it’s not a joking matter. With these local shootings, (by the way these events are very recent) I can’t feel safe at night, or even day sometimes. You simply never know when crazy, reckless, and violent people have access to guns. If we stop this, I feel safer in my own community. There isn’t much to say in order to prove me wrong here because of how serious it is other than, oh it isn’t going to happen to you. All I can say is it could be me, it could be me, and it could be me.
I hope you have heard my message on how gun violence is a huge problem in our country, future president. I want to enforce firearm laws or make new ones because change needs to take place now. Yes, people can still find a way to find guns and illegally purchase them but if we simply enforce laws to stop access, we will have taken a giant leap in the right direction. Gun violence has affected me especially in the last ten days or so to where I wanted to write about it and put my ideas out there. We can do this together, and only together because guns are the cause of most deaths and of course mass shootings. I hope you feel the same way I feel, thanks.
Works Cited
Mills, Bobby E., and Charles Moore W. "Gun and Violence: Cause or Effect."Www.afro.com. N.p., 2 July 2014. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
"Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence." Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. Note: there isn’t a specific author but is a campaign with several people coming together to write several documents and reasons/opinions. It doesn’t tell you the author per document/page anyway. Link:http://www.bradycampaign.org/
Waldman, By Paul. "10 Arguments Gun Advocates Make, And Why They're Wrong." The American Prospect. N.p., 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
Lafraniere, Sharon, Sarah Cohen, and Richard Oppel A. "How Often Do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Dec. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
Daley, Ashley. "Kensington Elementary Teacher Dies after Being Shot by Robber."WCNC. N.p., 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
