Dear the Next President,

The issue of gun control in America is one of the most widely debated issues in our country over the past few years. Many people don't want to restrict their 2nd Amendment right to bare arms, while many others believe that stricter gun control laws need to be put in place after the recent tragedies our country has suffered. These incidents have been the driving force towards pressuring lawmakers into making these laws. As you know, you'll be faced with this issue and will have to choose one side or another; protect the 2nd Amendment or push for stricter gun control laws. As a concerned American citizen, watching the news and seeing some of the events caused by gun violence; Sandy Hook Elementary, Orlando, Charleston, even Trayvon Martin's death; just to name a few of the many tragic events caused by firearms. I believe you, as the president, should look towards pushing for stricter gun control laws during your time as president.

           The need for stricter gun control laws has been at what seems like to be an all-time high during this decade. I'll throw some statistics about guns in America towards you. According to BBC.com, in 2012, about 60 percent of homicides were caused by a firearm in the US, which nearly doubles Canada, who's at about 31 percent. About 13,286 people killed and 26,819 people injured by guns in 2015. About 11,385 people died on average annually between the years 2001 and 2011. That compares to terrorism, which had an annual death average of 517 during that time span, 31 not including the year 2001 and the horrific events that occurred on September 11th. It's also worth noting that about 300 million guns are in the US. Majority of those guns are owned by good people, but it’s that small percentage of bad that our country needs to look towards in order to increase the protection of the U.S citizens. One way to keep guns out of those wrong hands is to create stronger background checks. These stronger background checks should eliminate any known loopholes to the current background check system, such as private sellers. Private sellers are not required to follow federal law when selling their guns―you can see how that can be a major problem. Hopefully Congress can cooperate and help pass new gun control laws when presented to them. I know the previous president, President Obama had a hard time getting the Republican dominated Congress to vote on his side for many issues.

            Passing these laws won’t be an easy task, as many people will question the protection of the 2nd Amendment when gun control laws are mentioned. The right to bare arms is a right all Americans are able to enjoy and many don’t wish for it to be taken away. Sure, gun right advocates don’t wish for incidents such as mass shootings to occur. Gun rights advocates also can argue that if someone in the crowd had a gun, it would be easier to get the shooter before the shooter can kill more people. Either side of a debate is risking something: one being defenseless, the other risking lives. I think most people shouldn’t have their 2nd Amendment rights taken away from them. The only people that shouldn't be given these rights are individuals that can be deemed as dangerous, for example, people with a criminal record and/or possible terrorist ties.

           The issue of gun control is a hard one to judge. At first it seems like common sense to pass these laws, but the heart of many Americans and the passion they have for their guns and/or the Bill of Rights can interfere with this. President Obama struggled to pass new gun control laws since Congress is a Republican majority and many of them don't want to take the time to listen to a Democratic president. It's not in their nature to side with others that have different political beliefs than them. But they, and even you as the president, need to think about the victims of gun violence and think about the ways how these incidents could of been avoided. The person you succeeded, President Obama said during his last state of the union, “Our unalienable right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness were stripped from college kids in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high schoolers in Columbine, and from first-graders in Newtown. First-graders. And from every family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from their lives by a bullet of a gun. Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago everyday”(President Obama, State of the Union, theatlantic.com). Think about the words of Mr. Obama there. Think about how those incidents made you feel as a person. Think about how it does happen everyday in cities like Chicago, Detroit, and many more. Try to imagine yourself in the shoes of the thousands of people that are affected by gun violence each year. Think about how it would feel to lose someone close to you, like a child, sibling, or even a parent because someone decided their life wasn't worth going on with the pull of a trigger. The American people look up to you during times of despair, when they need someone to be the voice of the American people and lead them back into the right direction. During times of racial tensions within our borders being at an all time high since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's, the times where many Americans struggle with answering the simple question, "Can our government be trusted"? Sure these laws may put some restrictions on our 2nd Amendment right to bare arms, but at the end of the day, keeping the American people safe is what should be important.

           Sincerely,

           Trevor Grosz