I contacted Sen. E. Kennedy urging him to oppose the Veterans Disarmament Act (HR 2640).
I send him a version of the prepared letter available on the Gun owners of America website. This is the GOA letter"
This is the reply I got today. The general "gun control is good" language did not surprise me, but the bold paragraphs made me laugh. I wonder if he /his secretaries wrote that with straight face.
Enjoy
I send him a version of the prepared letter available on the Gun owners of America website. This is the GOA letter"
Dear Senator:
I oppose the Veterans Disarmament Act, which is being pushed by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (HR 2640) and Sen. Patrick Leahy. This bill will expand the 1993 Brady Law and disarm hundreds of thousands of combat veterans, among others.
I understand that Gun Owners of America distributed several amendments recently to every senatorial office to address the mistaken arguments that supporters of the bill have. I also understand that proponents of this bill are claiming it will actually help gun owners.
They argue that this bill gives veterans a mechanism for getting their names off of the prohibited person list. That's like giving a mugger access to your home, but then stating you can hire a lawyer and pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to eventually (maybe) get your stolen items back.
Well, if the proponents are right -- that this bill will actually help gun owners -- then surely they won't object to friendly amendments that are designed to make it unmistakably clear that military veterans or grownups who suffered with ADHD as children will never be denied the ability to purchase a firearm, simply because they once had a "determination" from an anti-gun shrink that said there was the MINISCULE possibility that they could pose a danger to themselves or others. That is what the GOA amendments are designed to do.
I still believe that the Brady Law has done more to register gun owners and deny guns from of law-abiding Americans than to keep guns out of criminals' hands. But adopting these amendments will at least prevent an anti-gun administration from doing what the Clintons did in 2000 when the Veterans Administration added the names of some 83,000 veterans into the NICS system.
Sincerely,
This is the reply I got today. The general "gun control is good" language did not surprise me, but the bold paragraphs made me laugh. I wonder if he /his secretaries wrote that with straight face.
Enjoy
Thank you for your letter on the nation's gun laws. There is
no doubt that the easy availability of firearms, particularly handguns,
contributes to the unacceptable toll of death and injury from gun
violence.
We must end the arms race in our cities, towns, and our
neighborhoods. I support tough punishment for violent criminals, but I
also believe that is not a sufficient answer to the problem. There are
steps we can take to prevent violent crime before it occurs. It is time
for Congress to act to place reasonable restrictions on access to
dangerous weapons.
Congress took an important first step by enacting the Brady
Bill in 1993, which imposed a nation-wide five-day waiting period on the
purchase of handguns. We need comprehensive legislation to strengthen
the regulation of federal firearms dealers and limit the importation of
foreign-made weapons. It is also time to limit the number of guns that
may be purchased at one time.
In the past, I have been a sponsor of legislation that
follows the example of Massachusetts and requires handgun purchasers
throughout the country to obtain a license proving they are qualified
and responsible enough to own handguns. More recently, I have introduced
the Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act, to protect children from gun
violence.
None of these measures will infringe on the legitimate rights
of hunters and other sportspeople. The Second Amendment is not a
constitutional obstacle to the regulation of firearms, since the
amendment by its own terms deals with the rights of the state militia,
not individuals. The framers of the Constitution surely did not intend
to leave Congress powerless to protect the public from an epidemic of
gun-related violence.
I am committed to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals,
without undue burden to law-abiding citizens who choose to use firearms
for legitimate sporting purposes. Reasonable gun control is an important
part of the effort to protect the American people from violent crime.
Again, thank you for writing to me on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy
