By Samuel Pattison
Following the recent massacres in the United States in which legal guns were used, the campaign for stricter gun controls has been building momentum with students from across the country speaking out against the current gun laws and supporting the victims of the many school shootings which take place each year. The issue has arisen again following the shooting in a Florida school just 2 weeks ago, the 18th in the United States in 2018. CLV Phoenix Guest Writer Samuel Pattison writes the following open letter to President Trump calling for reform of gun laws.
Dear Mr President,
I write to you today in order to encourage my ideas for the reformation of gun laws in the United States. As a result of the recent events in Las Vegas, NV and Parkland, FL, I believe that these changes are as necessary as ever.
While the death toll has risen, the difficulty to get ahold of firearms and ammunition has not. Last year, you repealed an Obama-Era bill that prevented the mentally ill from getting ahold of firearms. While these shootings are not necessarily always a direct result of mental illness, in 2017 the Las Vegas shooter (Stephen Paddock) was prescribed Diazepam, which is used to treat anxiety and alcohol withdrawal. It is known that that the Marjory Douglas School Shooter (Nikolas Cruz) was mentally disturbed. The fact that you decided to repeal this is somewhat counterproductive and following the recent events, you have still cited mental illness as a cause of these atrocities.
The last two (and many more) of the shooting incidents in the United States were caused by firearms that were legally modified by bump stocks, which can be used with weapons, making them fire faster. Your idea to outlaw them is good. On the other hand, your idea to arm teachers is not. Bringing more guns into schools will not result in peace. What if these were to get in the wrong hands? What about the teachers who would live with being responsible for the death of another? The idea could sound plausible in theory, but in practise is preposterous.
My proposed solution is to push for less production and sale of ammunition. Considering the United States is estimated to now have more civilian firearms than people, there is already a surplus in circulation. Ammunition however, must expire eventually. This is why I think that the catalyst to these shootings is what should be limited. Push for States to limit production and sale, especially variants used for semi automatic weapons. These weapons are not for ‘self defence’. They are killing machines that cause death and suffering in mass and are no cause for good. While I believe that shootings and terrorism from those outside or linked to larger organisations is harder to prevent (Paris in 2015 for example, where a shooting occurred in a country with strict gun control), domestic shootings can and will be prevented with these changes.
Considering your campaign was largely focused on change and reform, this is a step that I’m sure even your opposition can agree on. I very much hope you take this into consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
Samuel Pattison
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