Dear Next President of the United States:

What is happening to our country? We do need feel safe and some are even afraid to leave their own house. We are living in fear because no place feels safe anymore. In fact, in 2013, seven out of ten mass shootings took place at a school or workplace. Those are supposed to be safe places. The American people want change and we look up to you, our president, to turn this country around and make us feel safe. We need stricter gun laws prohibiting gun show loopholes that allow basically anyone to walk out with a gun without undergoing a thorough background check. We have become a nation almost numb to the words “mass shootings” as we cannot seem to go one week without hearing those words on the news. Despite all this, nothing ever seems to change. After the news stops covering the most recent mass shooting, we just move on with our normal lives as if nothing happened forgetting that innocent lives were lost until of course we hear about the next mass shooting a few days later. All we seem to do is post on social media expressing our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families but no one really seems to take it a step further and demand a change and that is why I am writing to you, our president, to ask you to help us grow up in a safer America where we feel safe enjoying simple things that all teens should be able to enjoy such as going to school, going to the movies, or mall without fear.

Now, I  understand that gun violence is a controversial topic due to the second amendment, but the second amendment states that, “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”. I believe that the context was different in 1791, than now in 2016. Guns were very different in 1791 than they are today. Back then a gun could only hold one round whereas today a good shooter can fire 45 rounds per minute and shooters can swap out magazines in a matter of second. The gun of 1791 could not inflict anywhere near the amount of carnage of today’s gun.

The definition of a mass shooting can change depending on who you ask but the Gun Violence Archive defined it as an incident where four or more people are wounded or killed. Although the U.S takes up only 5% of the world’s population, it had 31% of the world’s mass shootings from 1966 to 2012, according to a study by the FBI in 2016. In the past ten years, three of the deadliest mass shooting have happened in Orlando, Florida (49 killed), Virginia Tech (32 killed), and at Sandy Hook (27 killed). Also, thirty of the deadliest mass shootings dating back to 1949 over half of them have happened over the past ten years.

The U.S has around 270 million guns, according to a 2007 report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey. In half of the cases with mass shootings, the shooter typically had more than one gun. It is way too easy for anyone who wishes to hurt others to get his or her hands on a deadly weapon. Gun shows are amongst the easiest places to obtain a gun with no background check or permit. In fact, over 40% of guns sold in gun shows are sold with no questions asked as reported by the the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Mass shootings can come to an end, but it must start with you, our president. We need to trust you it keep our families and our future generations safe and we can start with stricter gun laws. Hopefully this letter will help you realize the impact you can have on our country and the legacy of your presidency by creating a much safer America starting now. Please consider my concerns, take action, and make a change for the sake of the children of our country and help stop the loss of innocent lives to gun violence.

Sincerely,

Daniela Simon