Dear Mr. President I am a student who has done a lot of research in gun crime and gun control in America and are writing to tell you that I believe that banning all guns is not the answer, but teaching people not just the young

mean that everyone has the right to own a gun, but lately many people have come to believe that it means the right of the militia or military to bear arms. The Amendment is really saying two things at once. In the first part it talks about maintaining a militia to protect the freedom of the country, but that has nothing to do with the second part. The second part specifically states " the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This says the people, not the militia, so it is wrong to take away a person's right to own a firearm. Another point often made by those for gun control is the safety of chldren who find guns. The children end up accidentally shooting themselves or others. This is true, but it has been proven that children that are around guns are actually safer than those who aren't. This way the children know how to handle a gun safely, if they find one. They are less curious and are less likely to play with it them, because they have been around guns, and they know what to do when they come in contact with one. In a study done by a News Station found, the children who shot the guns were the ones who were never around firearms. The children who were around guns knew what to do and how to handle the gun and also knew the risks of it.Along with childrens safety, there is also people's safety with guns because accidents do happen. Those for gun control say the safest gun is no gun. They feel it is better not to come in contact with guns at all. How can something be safe if you are not around it and don't understand it? If a person isn't around guns they'll have no knowledge of how to handle the firearm, not knowing fully the risks that are involved. No matter how much people don't like guns, they will never be able to get rid of all of the guns in the United States, or even the world and guns are everywhere. There are over two hundred million firearms in the U.S. alone, Billions all over the world.  No matter how much gun control there is, there will always be guns in society. That it is why it is better to teach people to use firearms properly; this will prevent accidents from happening, not gun control. It has also been stated that gun control reduces crime. But is this statement true? It has been found that on average, countries with the most gun control have the higher crime rates.  If looks at it objectively it can easily be seen. Those people who want guns can still get them illegally. This leaves the honest people defenceless against attack. Who is going to break into a house if the owner has a gun as well? The answer is surely not many. It has been seen throughout different states. California has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States, and California also has one of the highest crime rates too.  The Midwest has a lower crime rate than the Midwest of Canada, even though Canada has stricter gun laws. It is also thought that the United States has the highest crime rate in the western hemisphere. That is not true either. The highest crime rate actually belongs to countries like Jamaica and Mexico. Their crime rate, especially in murder, is almost twice that of the United States, and Jamaica and Mexico have virtually prohibited gun ownership by citizens. Up to 1981, Britain had one of the lowest crime rates involving guns in the world, but that year they started gun control. The gun control limited the access completely to handguns, and assault weapons. From 1981 to 1993 their crime rose almost 200 percent. On the other hand there is Switzerland, they have one of the lowest crime rates in Europe, and Switzerland has laws that make every man age eighteen to fifty-six own an assault rifle. Men that age are forced to serve in the military. The Swiss government makes them keep a rifle at home so they will practice with it and know how to use it. Their owning assault rifles are what keep the crime rate low. Imagine Mr. President breaking into a house when it is a fact that the man owns an assault rifle; it would be kind of scary trying to break in.Doesn't this show people something? How does gun control help? The countries that do the best are the ones who punish the criminals. The best way for the United States to fight crime is to increase the punishment of convicted criminals. Make the people not want to commit the crime for fear of the punishment they'll receive. No matter how much gun control there is, these criminals will always be able to find a gun to commit their crimes whether it be murder, rape, robbery, or assault. There are just too many guns on the streets to be able to get rid of all the firearms. It can already be seen that the crime rate is rising; gun control is not doing its job, so there needs to be a new approach to fighting crime. Gun control is unneeded and not the answer to our problems. "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." I hope Mr. President that you take notice of this letter, and come to a intelligent decision about the state of gun control in the “land of the free”. Yours faithfully:    J.E. Shand