This is what I got in response to my letter asking to not enact more gun bans:
Dear Robert,
Thank you for contacting me regarding gun control legislation. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
With the onset of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut as well as the countless reports of gun violence that we find all too frequently in our local newspapers, I want you to know that gun control and gun violence are issues that I care deeply about and have been at the forefront of my legislative portfolio since my time as a State Senator and as the Norfolk Country District Attorney.
I often worked with victims groups and had discussions with survivors of such senseless violence as well as family members and parents of victims that were not so lucky. I have seen in concrete terms the indelible scars left from such violence, which led me to support banning assault weapons and armor-piercing bullets, among other issues as Senate Chairman for the Public Safety Committee and now, as a U.S. Congressman. As District Attorney, I aggressively enforced our gun laws.
I will continue to support responsible gun legislation in Congress. That is why I voted against the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, which would force states to recognize "concealed carry" licenses from other states. For the safety of my constituents and their families, I also opposed the repeal of a current requirement to report a purchaser of ten or more weapons to the Justice Department. Further, I have cosponsored the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, which would prohibit the trade and manufacture of dangerous, high-capacity ammunition like that which was used in the horrifying attacks in Newtown, Connecticut, Tuscon, Arizona and Aurora, Colorado. I have also worked to close what is known as the Fire Sale Loophole by cosponsoring legislation aimed to prevent anyone whose firearms license has been revoked or denied from transferring firearms into a personal collection or to an employee. Recently, I joined my colleagues on the newly formed congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force that will look at ways Congress can help reduce gun violence in the U.S.
While I recognize the Constitutional right to bear arms, I also believe that in the interest of public safety there must be greater accountability for gun violence, which includes the elimination of easy access to high capacity ammunition and automatic weapons.
It is my opinion that the regulations currently in place in Massachusetts, which include a ban on assault weapons, serve as an example of what could be accomplished on the national level. Along with our strict gun control laws, we have the lowest rate of gun-related deaths per capita in the United States. I do not believe that that is a mere coincidence.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I have also enclosed a copy of a recent op-ed that appeared in local publications. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or any other matter of concern. Additionally, you may find my website (The Online Office of Congressman Bill Keating) to be a useful resource for keeping up with my work in Washington and the Ninth District of Massachusetts. I look forward to hearing from you again.
Sincerely,
William R. Keating
Member of Congress
Dear Robert,
Thank you for contacting me regarding gun control legislation. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
With the onset of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut as well as the countless reports of gun violence that we find all too frequently in our local newspapers, I want you to know that gun control and gun violence are issues that I care deeply about and have been at the forefront of my legislative portfolio since my time as a State Senator and as the Norfolk Country District Attorney.
I often worked with victims groups and had discussions with survivors of such senseless violence as well as family members and parents of victims that were not so lucky. I have seen in concrete terms the indelible scars left from such violence, which led me to support banning assault weapons and armor-piercing bullets, among other issues as Senate Chairman for the Public Safety Committee and now, as a U.S. Congressman. As District Attorney, I aggressively enforced our gun laws.
I will continue to support responsible gun legislation in Congress. That is why I voted against the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, which would force states to recognize "concealed carry" licenses from other states. For the safety of my constituents and their families, I also opposed the repeal of a current requirement to report a purchaser of ten or more weapons to the Justice Department. Further, I have cosponsored the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, which would prohibit the trade and manufacture of dangerous, high-capacity ammunition like that which was used in the horrifying attacks in Newtown, Connecticut, Tuscon, Arizona and Aurora, Colorado. I have also worked to close what is known as the Fire Sale Loophole by cosponsoring legislation aimed to prevent anyone whose firearms license has been revoked or denied from transferring firearms into a personal collection or to an employee. Recently, I joined my colleagues on the newly formed congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force that will look at ways Congress can help reduce gun violence in the U.S.
While I recognize the Constitutional right to bear arms, I also believe that in the interest of public safety there must be greater accountability for gun violence, which includes the elimination of easy access to high capacity ammunition and automatic weapons.
It is my opinion that the regulations currently in place in Massachusetts, which include a ban on assault weapons, serve as an example of what could be accomplished on the national level. Along with our strict gun control laws, we have the lowest rate of gun-related deaths per capita in the United States. I do not believe that that is a mere coincidence.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I have also enclosed a copy of a recent op-ed that appeared in local publications. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or any other matter of concern. Additionally, you may find my website (The Online Office of Congressman Bill Keating) to be a useful resource for keeping up with my work in Washington and the Ninth District of Massachusetts. I look forward to hearing from you again.
Sincerely,
William R. Keating
Member of Congress
![[angry]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/008.gif "Angry [angry]")
