Response from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

[[cerberus]]

This is her response, they all want to protect the hunters. They just do not get it.

Dear Matthew,

Thank you for contacting me about the importance of protecting Second Amendment rights and ensuring public safety. I appreciate hearing from you.

Coming from a small town – where many of my close friends and neighbors are avid hunters – I have a deep respect for all sportsmen in Maine. I recognize that hunting is not only a tradition in Maine but an extremely important part of the economy. I believe that the Second Amendment exists to provide law abiding citizens the right to bear arms.

As a mother of three, I also recognize the need to promote public safety and to prevent firearms from reaching the hands of children and individuals who would seek to do harm. Events in Connecticut, Arizona, and around the country are important reminders that it's the responsibility of Congress and the President to begin an honest and open conversation about common sense gun reform. I believe it's necessary to support legislation that seeks to reduce violence while respecting the Second Amendment. As a lifelong advocate for the basic rights of all individuals, I will work to strike a balance between protecting the interests of our sportsmen and ensuring the safety of our children, our families and the public.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to work on this important issue as a Member of Congress.


Sincerely,
Chellie Pingree
Member of Congress

 

[JAYNOSE79]

So she doesn't get it.

 

[Climbnsink]

This is her response, they all want to protect the hunters. They just do not get it.

They get it, they just aren't being honest. Hunter excuse is an 'I understand the Constitution and am on your *cough* reasonable *cough* side' Been working on the retard fudds for a hundred years. Remember their frame is you are either a reasonable fudd or you are amassing an arsenal so you can gun down children. Stay the f@#$ out of their frame.

 

[Eman .357]

"the responsibility of Congress and the President to begin an honest and open conversation about common sense gun reform"

Do they know that this is there responsibility? If this is what our representatives believe Pres and VP are actually trying to do we are f'd

 

[System6ix]

So she doesn't get it.

Yep, that was my thought as well.

 

[Business]

I keep hearing the same thing from politicians and congress Common sense gun reform its an oxymoron if you ask me,and it doesn't and can't exist, laws don't stop criminals they stop law abiding citizens. its all pointless, if your good your good if your bad your bad no law is going to change it

 

[[cerberus]]

I'd like to respond, but it is an automated e-mail account. I want to ask her what reasonable is, and where in the constitution does it say for sporting purposes or hunting? Plus I doubt she would answer.

 

[Neriski3]

What they really need to do it have a conversation about how they can all get some common sense since no one in Washington has any!

 

[MA_Shooter]

So she doesn't get it.

Nope but at least you got a kiss first.

Funny but 'common sense' doesn't seem to apply to anything else in Washington but our rights.

 

[[cerberus]]

I went to her site and replied (best I can do with their hands off automation) and attached the original message. This is what I wrote in return, I hope to get some dialogue, but I do not think I will.

Dear Ms. Pingree,

I received this response to my letter to you, and I am interested in what you feel common sense gun reform is? Also what is an open conversation about gun reform? Because in the news all I hear is talk of banning a specific type of rifle or magazine. Is this the only form of an "open Conversation" that will happen in Washington? It seems like the only aspect of reducing violence in this country that is being looked at is controlling, or banning specific firearms instead of punishing the criminals who commit these crimes.

How will these laws make the streets of Chicago, New York, Boston, Portland and Lewiston any safer? These major cities like Chicago and Washington D.C. have very restrictive gun laws, and have the worst violence in the country according to the FBI crime stats. The rights of millions of law abiding citizens can not be stripped for feel good legislation that will do nothing to stop crime.

We currently have over 20,000 laws dedicated to controlling firearms in this country, do you feel one more ban will stop the next bad person from taking his anger out on the innocents that are packed into schools or other population centers? In the 90s, Bill Clinton proposed a plan to put trained armed safety officers in schools to prevent these types of situations but it was under utilized, we should rework this program for our nations schools. This country has millions of people who would put their lives on the line to defend our young people, and the innocent if we work towards allowing them to do so. Increased concealed carry ability, NRA trained safety staff in schools, these are the things that stop massacres, not striping people their right of defense.


Thank You

Matthew

 

[beaker]

She has already drunk the cool aid...

 

[Lank]

Dear Rep. Pissbrains,

The 2nd A does not talk about hunting.

 

[PhotoBiker]

I got the exact same "boilerplate email".

Here is my response (I too went to her site and responded).

---

Congresswoman Pingree,

I am replying to your boilerplate email regarding my concern for the infringement on the 2nd Amendment. In your email, you mentione you “have a deep respect for all sportsmen in Maine”. You make two mentions of hunters, loosely associating the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Amendment with hunters. I would like to remind you that the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Amendment does not in any way mention hunting. It does mention a militia though.

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

In District of Columbia v. Heller, in 2008, the US Supreme Court “ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm, unconnected to service in a militia” (wiki).

I take great offense to the current proposed infringement on our rights, specifically the proposed ban on “Military Style Assault Rifles” and “High Capacity Magazines”. Using the statistics provided by the FBI for 2011, we can see that:

1. Homicide Rates since the lift on the previous ban have, in fact, fallen.
2. Knives, Blunt Objects, and Personal weapons (hands, etc) are almost 9.5 times more deadly than the entire category that encompasses “Military Style Assault Rifles” which are listed under the category of rifles.

I cannot find any data on the number of rounds used for each homicide category, however, from the listed categories, at least 50% of the homicides would involve very few rounds of ammunition. Millions of law-abiding citizens such as myself possess firearms with magazines in excess of the proposed 10 round limit. In fact, a good number of the handguns on sale today, handguns used by millions of law-abiding (and voting) citizens to protect themselves in their homes and where permitted to when accompanied by an applicable Concealed Carry Permit.

I would like to know where you stand on defending the rights set forth in the Constitution. The boilerplate email I received was vague, this statement is the most confusing: “I will work to strike a balance between protecting the interests of our sportsmen and ensuring the safety of our children, our families and the public.”. What balance do you feel is necessary? Do you disagree with the current proposal? If there are parts of the current proposal you disagree with, what are they? What do you agree with?

I am but a small sample of your constituents. I too am married with three incredible children. I am a veteran, having served in the USAF from 1986 – 1992 on Active Duty (to include deployment to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War) and then in the USANG from 1992 – 1999. My wife is a Veteran of the USAF (1990 – 1992) and has been a member of the USANG since 1992.

I have remained rather quiet politically over the years, however, this particular topic has struck too close to home. I do not intend to sit back and wait for others to act, I intend to voice my opinion and influence where necessary. Please listen to your constituents.

Thank you in advance,

---

I'm not expecting her to actually read or respond to me. It will most likely be some intern...

 

[ericcif]

The hunter angle is to not alienate herself with the huge hunter base here in Maine. I won't vote (and haven't) for this windbag ever since she spoke forever about herself at my daughters H.S. Graduation several years ago. Hate when someone takes an event like that to make it all about them.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

 

[[cerberus]]

Yeah I have not gotten a reply, I guess she would actually have to commit to something in writing.