October 12th, 2016

Dear Future President,

I am writing to you today regarding the issue of domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism is a silent killer in our country. Americans pose international terrorism to be the biggest threat in our country; all the while, domestic terrorism is a growing problem. Domestic terrorism is presenting itself in many different ways, such as: mass and school shootings, homicide, and assault cases. The war on terrorism has been our country’s main concern for the past fifteen years; meanwhile, domestic terrorism is affecting American citizens more and more each day.

School shootings are evolving into a more frequent occurrence. In 2012, at the Sandy Hook shooting, 26 students and staff were killed. This event sparked what would develop into an appalling trend in America. Since 2013, there have been 196 school shootings. All the while, nothing is being done about these many issues. The American government has spent about $1.6 trillion on the War on Terror; how much have we spent on things like advanced home security systems? How thorough are our background checks on weapon buyers? I believe that we as Americans and our American government have not been taking all the necessary actions to stop these shootings from happening.

Not only are school shootings increasing but mass shootings and homicides are growing as well. According to DNAinfo in Chicago, 571 people have been killed in 2016 from murder cases alone. In Baton Rouge, six police officers were shot; two of the officers were killed, and one was left in critical condition. Think of the officers’ families. Put yourself in their shoes; how would you have felt if your family member was shot and killed? I do not feel safe when I hear of our county’s protectors being shot and killed by those they are supposed to be protecting us from.

I understand international terrorism has been and still is a rather substantial problem in our country. September 11th was a catastrophic event for thousands of Americans. However, 9/11 is the most recent terrorist attack on America from a foreign terrorist group. Since then, a surplus of occurrences have left American families feeling nothing but devastated.

The American way of life has always been to love your neighbor and do good for others. Domestic terrorism is severely clouding our American ideals. I know I am speaking for a majority of Americans when I say that domestic terrorism is making us feel unsafe in our home country because we know that our “neighbors” are turning on each-other.

Mr. President, it is your responsibility to maintain the feeling of security and safety. The citizens of America are relying on you to keep order and freedom in store.

-Sincerely,

Bailey B.