10 March 2019

Susan Collins 

One Canal Plaza., Suite 802

 Portland, ME 04101 

Dear Ms. Collins 

Today I am reaching out because as I continue to accomplish and reach new milestones I am always told to make sure I prioritize my day to day tasks; The moment I stop doing that, I will start doing things like sleep longer throughout the day which is something that I enjoy to do for  pleasure, instead of completing homework assignments that are going to help progress my future. 

I currently attend college; prioritizing is something that I continue to work on day to day because sometimes is hard not getting these extra hours of sleep because I have to complete homework and study while going to work throughout the week. One thing I have come to realize that as a country we all lack the skill to prioritize as well but “This is American”.

An Important discussion that we as Americans need to have is about the violence that comes attached to guns. Guns are a root problem to lots of events that are going on today and have had an impact on our society today. Many mass shootings occur because people are able to get their hands-on guns without going through an extensive background check to see whether this person is mentally stable to have such responsibilities. In our society today police brutality is one of the many impacts that guns have to our society because the wrongful killings of innocent black kids could have been prevented. 

Guns are the reason our society has grown apart, rather than come together as a country. We wait until there’s another person killed to make it a priority to speak about guns control. Why not now? Let’s discuss how serious guns are, since it is not a priority until a mass shooting occurs or another innocent child is killed because he was mistaken for having a gun. “this is America” the reality of it all. Making it harder to get a gun should be part of our priority.

As the rapper Childish Gambino writes about in his song “this is America” he proceeds to write about the events and the truth behind wrongful doings within our society. This song has helped many younger teens understand the importance of staying informed about certain events because these are sad truths about Americans and the way we have accustomed ourselves to live. One example that has shown “How death is normalized” was when the main character “Glover” (Childish Gambino) “periodically kills innocent performers. As a choir joyfully sings the refrain — “Get your money, black man, get your money” — Glover slips out from behind a door and dances in front of the choir. He is handed an assault weapon, shoots all 10 singers and walks away”(Rao 2018). 

This was an event that was mimicked to represent the mass shooting that occurred in “the 2015 Charleston church massacre, in which attendees of a prayer service were murdered by self-described white supremacist Dylann Roof” (Rao 2018). This church massacre was one of many that need to be taken into consideration when deciding whether we should have stricter gun control laws. This insensitive act as caused so many deaths. The thought of giving this responsibility to people that aren’t able to handle it is very worrying.  

Another example of a tragic event that has happened because of guns is the Columbine High School shooting. Like in the article “Gun Control after columbine” written by Shelby Tencza we wonder “How did two young men (one just barely 18 and one 17) have such easy access to guns and explosives?”. This is a good question to ask with every massacre; How come guns are so accessible to get to the public?

 In 1999 “ Bill Clinton, a liberal Democrat, had persistently pushed for stricter gun laws prior to this, but not enough people supported and/or cared for this idea until the Columbine shootings”(Tencza2016). It takes people dying for us (American’s) to speak on gun laws and the need to change this bloody image that American has become and have created due to guns and this misuse of it. 

When speaking about gun control and violence others believe that if civilians carry guns, they are able to stop theses gunman. According to this article “Do citizens (not police officers) with guns ever stop mass shootings?” by Eugene Volokh posted on the Washington post, he uses examples of times that people have stopped shootings like for example, In Chicago earlier this year, an Uber driver with a concealed-carry permit “shot and wounded a gunman [Everardo Custodio] who opened fire on a crowd of people.”. This was one of the many examples provided from a list.

 Another example is “In Winnemucca, Nev., in 2008, Ernesto Villagomez killed two people and wounded two others in a bar filled with 300 people. He was then shot and killed by a patron who was carrying a gun (and had a concealed-carry license)”. If he was not there to stop the shooting thing could have gotten worse. In our society today this is known as a good gunman can stop a bad gunman.

Others also believe that creating stricter gun laws infringes with our second amendment rights. According to a written piece from Cornell law school “In the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that the “Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”.

The idea of a good gunman can stop a bad gunman and our second amendment are two valid ideas that are believed in today’s society as ways to protect ourselves. Protecting ourselves is always important in certain situations but there’s many other ways we can protect ourselves and the children of America that are being raised in a violent world. 

While reading an article “Breaking down the NRA-backed theory that a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun” by Meghan Keneally posted on ABC news there are reports from 2014 that says “the FBI examined 160 active shooter incidents that took place between 2000 and 2013” out of those shooter incidents “The report found that in five of those incidents, armed individuals who were not members of law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the shooter, leading to either the shooter being killed, wounded or taking his own life”.

In contrast, it was found that “21 of the 160 incidents ended after unarmed citizens “safely and successfully restrained the shooter,” (Keneally 2018). This can help many understand that although 5 of the shooting were stopped by an innocent unarmed person, lots more ended with unarmed person making it four times higher. We should use this information to help progress laws against guns because the harder it is to obtain less people will have it.

Our second amendment is something very important since its part of our right of protection. Based on a source from John Hopkins “Concealed Carry of Firearms: FACTS VS. FICTION”“Even if such a right is protected, the Supreme Court has said that the Second Amendment is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” (Webster 2017). This shows us that our second amendment still cannot be fully interpreted yet because it has been said that it does not mean you can carry a “weapon whatsoever” while others interpret it differently.  

If gun control laws need to be placed so that we have more protections in places like gun shows and in our neighborhoods. Ms. Collins, I understand that you want to maintain current laws that pertain to guns sold without trigger locks, “on loosening license & background checks at gun show”, and not “banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets”. Please consider that’s background check will allow sellers to be more aware of who they are selling their guns to especially at gun shows. It’s in the best interest for everyone’s safety to create stricter gun laws in place of the old ones. We need change, as our society changes our laws should adapt as well.

Changing gun control laws is a long-term goal that will change our society. Based on “Gun Violence Must Stop. Here’s What We Can Do to Prevent More Deaths”we can start off with small acts that can have an impact on the community. For example the article mentions “Gun safety: Reduce the imminent risk of lethality through sensible gun laws and a culture of safety” this can be done by “Reduce firearm access to youth and individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others” this includes “ keeping guns out of the hands of those who have been violent toward their partners and families, and those with previous violent convictions, whether through expanding lethality assessment and background checksor supporting domestic violence bills, and gun violence restraining orders.

Another example was” Insist on mandatory training and licensing for owners.” this includes “This training should include recurring education to renew permits, with a graduated licensing process at least as stringent as for driver’s licenses”. Making sure that everyone still understands how to use a gun is only for the wellbeing of the owner and the people around them. This is only precautions that could be taken. This situation or rechecking is like getting a permit or learning a tasked for a job that’s is required after 50 years you would most like have forgotten what the basic information are to know. So, taking the course to refresh your memory is not as bad as it may sound; it is for the safety of others. These are two simple example that can help guide our country towards the goal of reducing violence.

Reflecting on how easy it is to obtain a gun makes me think how my safety is being affected as everyone is getting a gun. Worrying whether I should take a certain route past a certain time is hard enough. Now have to also worry that throughout the day my life is in someone’s else’s hands and can be taken at any time is hard to cope with. we “need to take new steps to take guns out of the hands of juveniles, criminals, and those who shouldn’t have them.” (Tencza2016).

Hopefully this can help “remind people what can happen when gun purchasing is not monitored in America”. We need more. We need people to start to care and prioritize this issue. why can’t we change this before another shooting of innocent people occurs. 

The sad reality of it is that “a person in our country can go out and buy that many weapons and not buy that many weapons and not break the law, till one of those kills a human being, is a challenge for law enforcement”. This was said by Andrew Walsh Deputy chief, In Las Vegas metropolitan Police Department. This was in an interview with ABC news Documentary called “A Killer on the 32 Floor” which speaks about the Las Vegas shooting which was very tragic. This documentary is very eye opening because the viewer is able to see how he was able to get 21 cases into the hotel and he was able to obtain 24 guns. Viewing all the guns make you wonder how was he able to get his hands on so many guns? Or even should the number of guns you own be a part of your background check? This was a large number of guns a person owned. In the documentary he was able to get lots of ammunition. How was he able to buy so much at time? Was this thought a period of time? How often did he go to get bullets? These are so questions that come with that’s and we should continue to question this as we decided if gun control is a priority, we American should have. 

Sincerely,

Ashley Guzman

Works Cited:

CONCEALED CARRY OF FIREARMS: FACTS VS. FICTION. Cassandra K. Crifasi, Alexander McCourt, Jon S. Vernick and Daniel W. Webster, , 16 Nov. 2017, www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/publications/concealed-carry-of-firearms.pdf.

“Gun Violence Must Stop. Here’s What We Can Do to Prevent More Deaths.” Prevention Institute, www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and-reducing-injury/

Preventing-violence-advocacy.

Keneally, Meghan. “Breaking down the NRA-Backed Theory That a Good Guy with a Gun Stops a Bad Guy with a Gun.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 29 Oct. 2018, abcnews.go.com/US/breaking-nra-backed-theory-good-guy-gun-stops/story?id=53360480.

LII Staff. “Second Amendment.” LII / Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, 10 Oct. 2017, www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/second_amendment.

News, ABC. YouTube, YouTube, 19 Dec. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVfzxLvIxi8&t=1580s.

Rao, Sonia. “’This Is America’: Breaking down Childish Gambino’s Powerful New Music Video.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 9 May 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/05/07/this-is-america-breaking-down-childish-gambinos-powerful-new-music-video/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.49f83b27f420.

Republican Party on Families & Children,www.ontheissues.org/domestic/Susan_Collins_Gun_Control.htm.

Tencza, Shelby. “Shelby’s RCL Blog.” SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy, sites.psu.edu/sjt5407/2016/08/25/hello-world/.

Volokh, Eugene. “Do Citizens (Not Police Officers) with Guns Ever Stop Mass Shootings?”The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 Oct. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/10/03/do-civilians-with-guns-ever-stop-mass-shootings/?utm_term=.616566553327.