February 21, 2018

Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State NYS State

Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224.

Dear Mr. Cuomo

I am a nursing student at the University of……………………..Due to the heavy emphasis that my course places on community health, I have, with time, developed the desire to contribute positively to the improvement of the health of people in my area of residence. In as much as significant efforts have been made in fighting gun violence in New York, reports indicate that the state is losing the fight. I am advocating for low gun ownership as a means of reducing or controlling gun violence in New York.

The rates of gun violence in New York have been alarming, and reports indicate a steady increase since the start of the millennium. Since the year 2010 especially, many lives have been lost to careless shootings that could have been avoided had the issue been under proper control.  It is reported that the New York Safe Act of 2013 contains some of the best legislation concerning the issue of gun violence in the United States. Nonetheless, gun violence is still considered one of the most significant threats to the safety of people living in New York because many people have access to guns.

In the year 2012, close to 1000 people lost their lives through shootings both by people within and outside the State. Almost half of these (455) were homicides, and about 500 were suicides committed using guns. Less than one percent of the deaths were however unintentional.  Gun-related deaths have occurred so notoriously and so have gun-related injuries. In the year 2013, reports claim that there were more than 300,000 cases of violent crimes that were committed with the help of machine guns. About 75,000 people in that year were admitted in hospitals where they nursed nonfatal after gun wounds.

Gun violence is not just costly in terms of the number of deaths and injuries occurring as a result of it. The economic costs of gun violence negatively impact the state through unnecessary spending that can be avoided. In the year 2010, the cost of gun violence reached a whopping USD 12 billion after factoring various associated expenses such as insurance, hospitalization, and insurance. After studying both indirect and direct costs, a report claimed that for every individual in the United States, the annual cost of gun violence exceeds USD 1000. Treating gun wounds[1]has never been a cheap expense either. The average medical cost associated with the aftermath of gun wounds is above USD 30,000 before factoring the hospitalization fees during the initial treatment of the injury.

There is strong evidence supporting the famous claim that reforms in gun laws can save lives. In the U.S. states that have the weakest gun laws have reported the highest number of deaths associated with gun violence. Some of these states are Alaska, Montana, and Louisiana. More than 60% of households in Alaska possess guns, and the state is in the top three of the places where gun deaths occur mostly in the United States.

These trends prove that stronger gun laws can save lives and make New York more secure, but this journey has to begin with emphasizing low gun ownership in the state. Currently, New York is not in the top three of the safest state in the country because gun ownership is close to 20%. In the long run, more guns usually equal more deaths as a result of gun violence. Your honor, this state is under your governance. You have the authority to influence legislation towards low gun ownership. Your involvement in this fight will easily result in success in the revolution. Thank you for granting me your audience. Kindly get back to me through my email address which is……………..

Sincerely,

Name……………………………………..

College………………………………………

References

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (2015). Gun violence in New York: No room for       complacency. Retrieved from https://nyagv.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Fact-Sheet-      Gun-Violence-in-New-York-Jan-2015.pdf

Criminal Victimization (2013). National Crime Victimization Survey. Retrieved from             http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv13.pdf

[1], https://nyagv.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Fact-Sheet-Gun-Violence-in-New-York-Jan-2015.pdf

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