Dear Mr. or Madam President,

There are many problems in America that are brought before the President that should be talked about in length and debated but one in particular that I would like to bring to your attention is the issue of gun control. It has become a more and more discussed issue and while that is great that people are talking and learning about it, many voices have also appeared saying we don’t need to change our system. 

Many gun supporters claim Heller v. District of Columbia (2008) or more broadly, the 2nd amendment as fundamental reasons protecting their right to bear arms. While these are both true and these decisions should be upheld, there are legitimate questions that have been raised about the kind of guns that should be available and who should have access to them. 

Bushmaster XM-15 is a well-known semi-automatic that is very similar to an AR-15 but is notoriously built to avoid restrictions in the Federal Weapons Assault Ban. The Bushmaster XM-15 has been used in the Sandy Hook shooting and a 2013 Washington D.C. shooting. Many argue that this gun shouldn’t be marketed to civilians and that there is no use for an average american to have that. It doesn’t work for hunting and it is too extreme to protect one’s self against attack in the home. Scott Martelle, a reporter on the Sandy Hook attack wrote, “That's selling combat, not self-defense.” 

We shouldn’t have militarized people just walking around the street without reason, especially not civilians. FBI statistics found that 46,313 Americans were murdered with guns from 2007 to 2011. At the point where roughly 46,000 americans die in four years of something preventable it becomes more of an epidemic that needs to be dealt with rather than a issue to debate over years, especially if those years cost lives. 

Please review this subject and make an informed decision to protect Americans. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and congratulations on your victory.

Sincerely,

Sydney W.

Works Cited

Steiner, Monica. "The Federal Assault Weapons Ban." Criminal Defense Lawyer,

NOLO, www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/

the-federal-assault-weapons-ban.htm#. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.

Martelle, Scott. "Sandy Hook lawsuit makes the case that military-style weapons

aren't for civilians." Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2015, www.latimes.com/

opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-newtown-gun-liability-nra-20150319-story.html.

Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.

Jones, Ashby, and Dan Frosch. "Rifles Used in San Bernardino Shooting Illegal

Under State Law." The Wall Street Journal, 3 Dec. 2015, www.wsj.com/

articles/

rifles-used-in-san-bernardino-shooting-illegal-under-state-law-1449201057.

Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.