Dear Future President,

     As a high school student, guns are talked about often. The fear of school shootings or street violence is real and very alive in our society. It is too easy to get access to guns, even in today's young society. Gun laws are poorly executed and not strict enough. If we change our laws to make it a privileged right, then violence would significantly decrease.

      The right of the people to bear arms has been enabled in our Constitution since 1791 and is one of our rights as American citizens. In spite of this, our modern terms with guns have changed, permitting unnecessary violence. Our gun regulations must change- with an increase in homicides, suicides, terrorism and other acts of violence, we as a country are facing the brutal effects. This year alone a stifling number of homicides were committed by a firearm, and an alarming amount of suicides have been the result of easy access to guns. The effortless process to get a gun is unacceptable, as citizens of the U.S. we have the right to bear arms, but if an individual seems unfit for the responsibility than they should be denied.

      Hunting, and war, the two reasons people owned guns in 1791. When the second amendment was written there were no military grade weapons being bought at your local gun store, there was no constant terrorism and threat on our country, instead, there were muskets. Muskets were known for their non accuracy and long reload time, making them significantly less dangerous and severely decreases violence. As Americans, we have the right to own a gun, yet we should not have access to assault rifles and various other automatic and semi automatic weapons. This grade of the weapon creates and provoke violence essentially terrorism, a current threat in our nation today.

      As a country we would strongly benefit from newer, stricter gun laws. No one with a violent criminal past, no one with drug chargers and nobody on the no fly list or other terrorist lists. Every person attempting to own a gun should take a mandatory drug test, psychological evaluations and be thoroughly checked for a criminal past or any other clear warning signs. Guns should be exclusively be sold at a low grades for uses like hunting or at home protection. Gun safes should be highly suggested as well, for the main purpose of safety of curious children. The less guns we have in the streets, the less crime we have. The less guns we allow unfit people obtain, the less suicides and homicides. The less assault rifles, the less mass murders and terrorism.

      American citizens were born with the right to own a gun. For the sole purposes of protection and hunting. As guns became more accessible, even at a military level, violence in the United States has increased. By imposing strict laws, violence would decrease and the fear of guns will go down. The constitution was written to be revised, and by changing the second amendment we will make America safer. 

Sincerely, Anna