Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

My name is Byron, and I am sixteen years old. One of my biggest concerns is gun laws and rights. I know this is a very controversial and frustrating topic for both pro-gun and anti-gun supporters. Guns are very simple, just like a car they do what they were made to do. Shoot, whether it be for good or for bad deeds. All gun laws do is make good guys the most vulnerable targets. As a young man that has been raised up in nature, hunting and shooting from a young age I understand how people who have never used a firearm may be alarmed at the thought of them. Speaking from personal experiences I would like to also state that guns get bad raps from new movies and video games such as Grand Theft Auto. Lots of people do not respect guns because of what they learn from such a young age with these games.

Please Mr. or Mrs. President respect our Second Amendment. Which states “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.” As a law abiding citizen who has police in our family I see first hand how gun laws do not work. A criminal will have access to guns weather legal or not. The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines a criminal as: “involving illegal activity : relating to crime.” So when laws are created that prohibit and make it harder for people to possess and or purchase firearms all it does is make it harder for law abiding citizens. This also discourages new gun ownership.

“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) final report on death statistics for 2013 shows there were 35,369 deaths from motor vehicle accidents versus 505 deaths from the accidental discharge of firearms. . . . Americans are 70 times more likely to die in a vehicle accident than by the accidental discharge of a firearm.” As this quote proves that cars are way more lethal than firearms. Anti-gunners also claim that one does not need a gun due to police officers being just a phone call away. With that logic should we not have fire extinguishers in households because firemen are just a phone call away! Many people including myself see no harm in law abiding citizens owning firearms. A law abiding citizens who own firearms are criminalized everyday by gun laws that only prevent them from having certain things that create no difference in ballistics. So called “Assault Weapons” are generally of small calibre such as a Ar-15 which is chambered in 223 or 5.56 which is a 22 calibre bullet. One is not even able to hunt deer in the state of California with a 22 due to it being too small to ethically and humanly make a kill on a large game animal. Where as a “Deer Rifle” is generally of 30 calibre and has an immensely larger bullet and is a way more powerful weapon.

Please respect the American People’s right to own firearms and please do what is the right thing to do! But myself and my fellow gun owners respect your opinion and many of us are open to compromise. Thank you for your time Mr. or Mrs. President!