- Braydon M. Per: 2

Dear Next President,

In today’s America I believe we have a problem with guns. I'm not saying we need to take away guns from the law abiding citizens that are responsible and know what to do with guns. I just believe it is too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns. Right now someone can easily walk in and buy a gun by passing a simple background check or buy a gun at a gun show with no checks at all.

Right now it seems like we see a shooting almost once a month in America. People who seem to have mental problems or claim to belong to a terrorist group seem to get guns too easily . Dangerous or radical islamic people who cause mass shootings need to have tighter background checks so we can tell if that they present a threat or have a dangerous mental disorder. According to “Making gun control happen” from the New Yorker, having tighter gun laws would make it harder for these threats to buy guns. Most of the shootings in America are by people who have disorders or people who claim to be a part of a terrorist group. If we had tighter laws and more thorough background checks it would make it harder for these dangerous people to buy a gun or get a hold of guns.

Today I believe a lot of these shootings could be avoided by just looking more in depth into who is buying these guns. In “The Gun-Control debate, explained in 5 questions” from The Washington Post,  a survey of Americans states that Americans do not want gun laws, but I believe they would if the laws reduced violence. If you look at the shooting that happened in Orlando, Florida, that person was targeting a certain group of people. He even admitted being a part of a terrorist group. He should not have been able to get a gun that easily. We need to make sure we know who these people are from when they receive a gun or buy a gun. The people that do pose an immediate threat due to a mental disease or by radical beliefs should not have guns.

Some people might argue that  making gun laws and background checks tighter wouldn't reduce gun violence. I believe that tighter gun laws would actually reduce violence because they would make it harder for potentially dangerous people to get guns. The people would not be able to buy guns which would not allow them to get guns as easy. If it was harder for them to get a gun I believe it would reduce the violence we see from guns today.

In conclusion, I believe that tighter gun laws and tighter background checks would reduce gun violence. I don't want to completely ban guns. They actually have a positive side to them by providing protection if they are used responsibly. Unfortunately, if someone really wants to cause serious damage with guns he or she could get guns. There is no way to completely stop gun violence. However,  I do believe that tighter laws and background checks would make it harder for people to cause mass shootings and would greatly reduce gun violence.

Sincerely- Braydon M.