Yo Mama
Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 3,230
His reply from my email sent by Ruger:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the right to bear arms, as promised by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I appreciate your thoughts on this important issue in light of recent attempts to restrict those rights.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution clearly states, "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." To counter those who wish to impose restrictions and gun controls, the Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting. It was included--right after the First Amendment that protects free speech--to ensure the right of citizens to oppose a tyrannical government. The amendment does not restrict the use of certain arms, magazines, or clips; rather, it is broad in its scope. If you do not misuse your right to the weapon, you do not have to be monitored or restricted by the government.
After President Obama announced his 23 Executive Orders regarding gun control, I joined with 42 House colleagues in sending a letter to him, vowing to protect Second Amendment rights from federal overreach, and expressing concern that new gun control measures will not prevent future tragedies similar to the horrible tragedy that took place in Newtown, Connecticut. The truth is that more gun control laws and regulations cannot stop the kind of evil we witnessed in Newtown--only strong communities and families can. We therefore called on the President to lead in addressing the real causes of such violence, and not use this tragedy as an excuse to strip law-abiding citizens of their right to keep and bear arms.
I also joined in signing the Stockman-Broun letter to House Speaker Boehner, petitioning him to observe the Hastert Rule with respect to anti-gun legislation. Under the Hastert Rule, no gun control legislation can be brought to the floor unless it is supported by the majority of the Republican caucus--117 Republican Representatives.
With respect to background checks, the Firearm Owners Protection Act mandates the federal government to destroy within 24 hours any information that it gathers during background checks. I will do all I can to ensure that this remains the law of the land.
I was pleased to see that Senator Dianne Feinstein's attempt to ban 157 different weapons and ammunition clips is not included in the Democrat's comprehensive gun bill. Since her bill would have to move forth separately or as an amendment, it has little chance of success. Nevertheless, I will monitor and vote against any attempt to reestablish the assault weapons ban should it come to the House floor.
Many pundits in the media and throughout the country have called for stricter gun laws. All of these voices miss the point entirely: the people behind gun tragedies should be held responsible for their reprehensible actions. The rest of the law-abiding citizens should not have to have more of their liberties taken away from them due to a madman's assault on human lives. Rather, we should attempt to detect these mentally unstable individuals at an earlier time with hopes of keeping weapons out of their hands. But that should be the extent of further government interference.
It is not the government's place to meddle and handicap law-abiding citizens-especially in an area where the Constitution has already explicitly made its case. More citizens should even be encouraged to own weapons and to become more proficient in the weapons they own. Criminals have always preferred and will continue to prefer unarmed victims. Prison surveys indicate when a criminal considers breaking into a home, the greatest deterrent, in his mind, is the fear that his intended victims might be armed. Members of the government should not fear an armed citizenry for this reason.
Our country is blessed with freedoms unlike any other nation in the history of humankind, and we must defend these freedoms at every turn. I am deeply committed to the right of America's law-abiding citizens to own and bear arms. Our Second Amendment is a freedom I have and will continue to fight to preserve.
Finally, it is interesting to note that before most great tyrannies and genocides occurred in the world, the citizens of those lands were first disarmed. We must keep a watchful and wary eye toward anything that would take the United States down that same path.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I wish you the very best in life, and I hope you will continue to inform me of the issues that concern you. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website at http://franks.house.gov.
Most Sincerely,
Trent Franks
United States Congress
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the right to bear arms, as promised by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I appreciate your thoughts on this important issue in light of recent attempts to restrict those rights.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution clearly states, "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." To counter those who wish to impose restrictions and gun controls, the Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting. It was included--right after the First Amendment that protects free speech--to ensure the right of citizens to oppose a tyrannical government. The amendment does not restrict the use of certain arms, magazines, or clips; rather, it is broad in its scope. If you do not misuse your right to the weapon, you do not have to be monitored or restricted by the government.
After President Obama announced his 23 Executive Orders regarding gun control, I joined with 42 House colleagues in sending a letter to him, vowing to protect Second Amendment rights from federal overreach, and expressing concern that new gun control measures will not prevent future tragedies similar to the horrible tragedy that took place in Newtown, Connecticut. The truth is that more gun control laws and regulations cannot stop the kind of evil we witnessed in Newtown--only strong communities and families can. We therefore called on the President to lead in addressing the real causes of such violence, and not use this tragedy as an excuse to strip law-abiding citizens of their right to keep and bear arms.
I also joined in signing the Stockman-Broun letter to House Speaker Boehner, petitioning him to observe the Hastert Rule with respect to anti-gun legislation. Under the Hastert Rule, no gun control legislation can be brought to the floor unless it is supported by the majority of the Republican caucus--117 Republican Representatives.
With respect to background checks, the Firearm Owners Protection Act mandates the federal government to destroy within 24 hours any information that it gathers during background checks. I will do all I can to ensure that this remains the law of the land.
I was pleased to see that Senator Dianne Feinstein's attempt to ban 157 different weapons and ammunition clips is not included in the Democrat's comprehensive gun bill. Since her bill would have to move forth separately or as an amendment, it has little chance of success. Nevertheless, I will monitor and vote against any attempt to reestablish the assault weapons ban should it come to the House floor.
Many pundits in the media and throughout the country have called for stricter gun laws. All of these voices miss the point entirely: the people behind gun tragedies should be held responsible for their reprehensible actions. The rest of the law-abiding citizens should not have to have more of their liberties taken away from them due to a madman's assault on human lives. Rather, we should attempt to detect these mentally unstable individuals at an earlier time with hopes of keeping weapons out of their hands. But that should be the extent of further government interference.
It is not the government's place to meddle and handicap law-abiding citizens-especially in an area where the Constitution has already explicitly made its case. More citizens should even be encouraged to own weapons and to become more proficient in the weapons they own. Criminals have always preferred and will continue to prefer unarmed victims. Prison surveys indicate when a criminal considers breaking into a home, the greatest deterrent, in his mind, is the fear that his intended victims might be armed. Members of the government should not fear an armed citizenry for this reason.
Our country is blessed with freedoms unlike any other nation in the history of humankind, and we must defend these freedoms at every turn. I am deeply committed to the right of America's law-abiding citizens to own and bear arms. Our Second Amendment is a freedom I have and will continue to fight to preserve.
Finally, it is interesting to note that before most great tyrannies and genocides occurred in the world, the citizens of those lands were first disarmed. We must keep a watchful and wary eye toward anything that would take the United States down that same path.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I wish you the very best in life, and I hope you will continue to inform me of the issues that concern you. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website at http://franks.house.gov.
Most Sincerely,
Trent Franks
United States Congress
