I am sure by now you have heard of Senator Feinstein’s proposed Assault weapons ban, as well as additional calls for further gun restrictions in the wake of the recent tragedies at Newton, CT. I am writing in hopes that you will do all in your power to oppose any such legislation.
There is currently much interest to enact legislation similar to the 1994 Clinton era Assault weapon ban, I must say in good conscious that this is only a 'band-aid' fix and does not address the real issue at hand. The Clinton era assault weapons ban did nothing to stop the tragedy that happened at Columbine high school, and you will find FBI statistics proved it was not effective in reducing violent crimes in general across the country. Connecticut currently has in place an ‘assault weapons ban’ similar to the ’94 Assault weapon ban, and as you can see it unfortunately did nothing to prevent the tragedies that unfolded.
I am sure I don’t have to tell you that by definition, criminals do not obey the law, which is why I feel any new legislation regarding gun control will only serve to inhibit the rights of legal gun owners (the very people who you not need be concerned with). The AR-15 platform rifle is currently used by many law abiding citizens for a variety of applications including Home defense, recreation, and hunting, despite the media’s claims that it is unfit for any of these tasks. I would also like to take the time to point out several other common misconceptions regarding the AR-15 rifle, primarily the misconception that it can easily be converted to a fully automatic weapon. This is an utter fallacy, as it would take extensive machining and replacement of several parts which are already restricted under the National Firearms Act. I would also like to address the media’s claims that the AR-15 fires a “high powered round”, this is also not the case. I am sure from your time in the service, you have heard that many servicemen find it to be a greatly underpowered round, which is better suited to hunting small varmints than it is an effective fighting round.
I must also point of that the firearms industry employs over 200,000 people. It pays out about $9.8 billion in annual wages. And it contributes more than $5 billion in federal and state taxes every year. Any legislation regarding the restriction of gun rights potentially jeopardizes the jobs of those 200,000 people, and given the current state of the economy, as well as the rising financial crisis in Washington, those are jobs and revenue that the country does not have to spare.
I feel the root of this issue is the current state of mental health in this country. As it stands now, much of America is woefully ignorant of mental health and how large of a factor it plays in preventing tragedies like the events at Newton, CT. We need to encourage those who are ill to seek treatment, and encourage friends and families to speak up if they notice odd or disturbing behavior. Mental healthcare needs to be made more available, and we need to remove the stigma that is currently surrounding mental health to ensure people are more willing to accept treatment. I suggest Annual mental health screening by qualified individuals in High schools would be a great way to find and treat those who may be a potential risk to themselves and others before they can act would go a long way in preventing future tragedies. I also urge you to look into the NRAs proposed Shield Program, we currently protect the president, politicians, banks, and nuclear facilities with armed security, I feel protecting schools with armed security would also aid in preventing such tragedies in the future.
I would like to thank you for your time, and if you are willing and able, I would greatly like to discuss this issue with you further.
