I am a citizen of the United States who is very concerned that our right to bear arms is being infringed upon. I understand that there need to be regulations, and I agree with longer waiting periods and with deeper background checks. These regulations help keep guns out of the hands of criminals. These background checks also make sure that the people who own guns will be responsible with them. Guns are very important to people who hunt on a regular basis.

Magazines that hold more rounds can sometimes make the difference between life and death when it comes to home defense and when hunting dangerous animals. Semi-automatic guns are an important thing when it comes to hunting animals such as coyotes and hogs. These animals sometimes take more than one quick shot to take down. Also the point of hunting these animals is to shoot as many as you can before they are out of range or you are out of ammunition.

Many people say that guns are dangerous. This is very true, but there is the important point that guns are dangerous only if used incorrectly. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

Outlawing some guns just because criminals use them to kill someone will not solve anything. If murderers start using knives and bats to kill people, will government want to outlaw that, too? Criminals will still get their guns, and rightful, law-abiding, gun-owning citizens will have nothing to protect themselves with.

Connor Shapiro, 16Norridgewock


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