NY Patriot
Member
To whom it may concern (I assume Mr. Volk)... Thank you!
I am writing you in regards to the "Assault Weapons Ban of 1994". And as I am sure you know, is set to expire via a sunset clause in September of 2004. I wish and urge you to vote against any renewal of this legislation.
The banned weapons and magazines in question are rarely used to commit murders in this country. A criminal is not going to spend $1,000 on a weapon when he can get his hands on one that is often home made, cheaply manufactured, or stolen and just as lethal for less than 200 dollars. The "Assault Weapons" ban simply doesn’t work like its authors said or expected it to, regardless of what they claim. The facts can be distorted but the truth cannot…."Assault Weapons" neither cause, nor significantly contribute to violent crime in America. For this I urge you not to support the renewal of this legislation.
The ban has had no palpable effect on crime, but it has had a tremendous and terrible impact on the law-abiding citizens of the United States. Many people engage in competitive shooting programs such as the Civilian Marksmanship Program that uses mainly semi-automatic firearms. They are no longer allowed to configure their rifles in the constitutionally protected manner of their choosing. This should not be allowed to continue.
Last but not least, the ban targets features just because they look scary. The authors of this legislation honestly have no comprehension of physics or the mechanics of modern firearms. They feel that just because a firearm looks scary it should be banned, when the truth of the matter is that so-called "Assault Weapons" are mechanically identical to semi-automatic "sporting rifles." For this I beg that you to oppose the renewal of this "feel-good" legislation.
The fact this ban has had no effect on violent crime, it hinders the performance of men and women involved in competitive shooting, and attacks weapons based solely on their appearance is more than enough justification for its expiration, and I implore you to vote against any reauthorization or renewal of the "Assault Weapons" ban.
Keep in mind, there are many Republicans like myself that are upset with our party's latest movement away from it's base, for a long time we have held on, remaining Republicans just because they were the lesser of two evils, or because, while we may find the Libertarian party interesting, their stance on "Open borders" kept us from voting for their candidates. Our presidents latest movement to give amnesty to millions of illegals with no plan to stop more for coming in doesn't give us a clear distinction between the effects of the libertarians "Open Border" policy and the Republicans "Do Nothing" policy. Let me be clear on this, ANY move by the Republican party to further limit our 2nd amendment rights will push myself and many others out of the Republican Party, even a small migration of Republican voters to another party could very well be be the end to President Bush's administration, this next election will be so close that we could very well be the straw that breaks the camels back.
Please do not alienate America’s lawful gun owners, do not take it for granted that we will always just vote for the "Lesser of two evils", many of us have already made a move to vote for the person we think most represents our interests, regardless of their chances in a national election. Take note, Perot was a big factor in Bush Sr. losing his second run for President, Ralph Nader was instrumental in Al Gore losing in the last election. For many of us this is the last straw, and the outcome of the votes on S.1805 and whether or not it is voted in as a clean bill, or muddied with anti-gun laws will be our deciding factor.
Thank you for serving, thank you all the work you do for our country, but beware, there is a very large group of us that have become one issue voters, and that one issue is the 2nd Amendment.