I got a response today from Linda Finn, author of 5573. It still amazes me she is so ignorant about rights vs. privileges.
Dear Mr. Vellucci,
I would like to follow up with you about your recent correspondence regarding Bill 2013-H 5573. I have received many responses from concerned citizens, both gun owning and not. I would like to clarify a couple of items and respond to some of the criticism of the bill.
Please remember that at this point, this bill is still only a proposal. In order for it to become law, a House committee must first hear it. That hearing before the House Judiciary Committee is open to all to testify about their opinions. No date has been set for a hearing at this time, but there will be sufficient public notice for you to attend if you wish. After the hearing, the committee can make changes to the bill and vote on whether it advances to the House floor for a vote there. If the bill goes to the floor and the House votes to pass it, it must also pass the Senate in the same process, and not be vetoed by the governor, before it can be enacted into law.
I want you to know that I am very open to discussion of this bill and to making changes so it works for Rhode Island. For example, many gun collectors and owners of antique guns think the $100 registration fee is too high, and after listening, I have come to agree with them. Massachusetts has had a gun registration process in place since 1994, and its fee is $15 per firearm. That seems reasonable to me to cover administrative costs. I also think that current owners of large collections of guns should not be penalized and that the fee on existing guns could be waived entirely or applied only on the first few guns registered. These are good suggestions and I welcome any others.
I grew up about 30 miles from Newtown, Connecticut, in the small town of Carmel, New York. I have a strong recollection of air raid drills we had in elementary school in the 1960s. There were yellow and black signs on the walls of the schools because they were designated as bomb shelters.
During the drills, we were instructed to sit cross-legged under our desks and hunch over with our arms crossed over our heads to protect us. Back then, we, as children, had only a vague idea of what would happen if a bomb struck. We did not have the myriad of violent images on TV (or if we did, my parents did not let us watch them), and we certainly did not have access to the web, which can stream so many images for our children to see.
I do not think any of us were particularly concerned or scared. We knew the adults in our life, the military, and the United Sates of America, as the biggest, strongest country in the world, had the power and authority to protect us. We knew the United
States always won the wars it waged against tyrannical governments and enemies.
Our children now have different drills in school. They are shepherded into closets by teachers and they are all too aware that one day this might be a necessity. They can sense the fear our teachers feel when conducting these drills. They see images of people being gunned down everywhere, in video games, movies and on TV. They know these things happen in our country. They know it could happen to them.
Our children need the adults in their lives to protect them, and to make them feel safe. Doing nothing is not the answer. I'm not saying that my legislation is by any means a panacea, nor do I even expect or want it to pass without discussion and revision, but we have to start somewhere. I think it's reasonable to start by considering introducing a system that would help law enforcement agencies get a handle on how many guns there are and where. I should note that under my bill, only law enforcement agencies that need the information for a legitimate law enforcement purpose would have access to specific registration information.
Just as if car registration does not do anything to prevent law-abiding citizens from driving, gun registration does not prevent law-abiding citizens from purchasing or owning guns. It is a tool for law enforcement officials to trace weapons that used in crimes, providing some deterrent for those who might use their guns improperly.
There are, no doubt, many paths we could take toward curbing gun violence besides or in addition to this one, and I am interested in exploring all of them. I am looking for solutions; I hope that you will join me in seeking them as well. Thanks for taking the time to write to me.
Sincerely,
Linda Finn
State Representative
District 72