6th September 2016

Letter to the Next President

Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

The rights of our second amendment may possibly be violated in the future. The idea to ban assault weapons has been recently put out into the media. I however, do not believe it is necessary to ban weapons from responsible gun owners who are using them legally (hunting, target shooting, home defense). People who responsibly use guns should not be subject to gun control laws;“gun regulations only hurt law-abiding gun owners since criminals simply ignore them.”(National Rifle Association). Drugs like heroin are illegal but that does not keep them off of the streets. This doesn’t mean people who obviously should not own a gun should be able to buy one.

After the Orlando shooting, Hillary Clinton said that there is no need for assault weapons and semi-automatic pistols and that they could not be used for hunting. She was wrong. In 24 different states is is legal to use a semi-automatic assault rifle to hunt. Maybe politicians should do a little research before they make claims.

Hunters like me are hurt by laws like these. These laws take away the guns we use for hunting moose, bear, elk, and deer and are putting a huge restriction on our pastime. I remember my first time hunting with my father. We were hunting squirrel in September and we only managed to snag one, but that hunt made me like the sport of hunting. Had I not have had my gun, and my dad his, I would not have ever had this experience. Gun control laws are taking traditions like this and affecting the future generation of hunters.

In fact, we already have acceptable safety laws for buying firearms like background checks. These laws keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have them. A law in Texas says, “They told managers to make sure that customers who openly carry firearms have licenses. Cashiers or door greeters who see someone with a gun are to alert the highest-ranking manager. He or she must approach the customer and ask to see the permit ” (Bloomberg News). A law like this is reasonable because you should have your license with you if you are openly carrying a firearm especially since this can scare some people. Laws like background checks and checking for permits are reasonable and keep people safe, but why would you make a law who hurts law abiding people that won’t affect criminals? Hunters like me could lose the sport in our tradition.

Sincerely,

Caleb C.

Works Cited Page

Bloomberg News. “Issue Overview: Guns in America.” Newsela, Newsela, newsela.com/articles/overview-guns-in-america/id/19143/.

Bloomberg News. “Quirk in Texas Law Forces Wal-Mart to Enforce Gun Laws in Its Stores.” Newsela, Newsela, 1 Jan. 2016, newsela.com/articles/walmart-guns/id/14037/.