Dear MNHNTR,
Thank you for contacting my office and sharing your concerns about the need for a comprehensive approach to reduce and prevent gun violence while continuing to protect our Second Amendment rights.
We can no longer ignore the need to implement policies that protect our children and communities confronting the reality of daily gun violence and threat of senseless mass shootings. To that point, I believe the primary focus must lie in better and more holistic mental health care. The perpetrators of violent acts, such as those that recently occurred in Newtown and Minneapolis, demonstrated serious mental health problems and we need to address this first and foremost.
It's a fact that tens of millions of Americans experience mental health issues of one kind or another, many that often go untreated and undiagnosed. While it is rare for mental illness to drive people to acts of extreme violence, other consequences such as alcoholism, abuse, depression and joblessness do render many people frustrated, hopeless and unable to live life to the fullest when absent treatment. We absolutely need to expand our health care system to provide better mental health services to benefit not only those who suffer from these conditions, but also families, friends, colleagues and society as a whole.
I know that responsible gun-ownership is an integral part of our heritage in Minnesota – I am a lifelong sportsman and gun owner, and have hunted in northern and central Minnesota my entire life. The annual firearms duck and deer openers are a family tradition where we enjoy exercising our Second Amendment rights with friends each fall. While I sincerely wish that all Americans held as healthy an attitude and respect for firearms as the majority of Minnesotans do, there is a criminal element in this country that has exploited various loopholes in existing law and legally gained easy access to an arsenal of weapons with the intention of bringing harm to others.
More so, it has become too common for these weapons to fall into the hands of the mentally disturbed and those in personal crisis. Therefore, as I work to commit more resources to help people with mental health issues, I also intend to push for more thorough background checks on gun sales, restrictions on high-capacity magazines and a limitation on assault weapons. I will insist this legislation protects responsible hunters and gun owners by exempting specifically-named weapons used for hunting and sporting purposes and grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment.
Finally, as lawmakers consider options that would make it more difficult for troubled individuals to obtain access to an arsenal of guns and ammunition that were originally designed for use on the battlefield, it is important to note the U.S. Supreme Court has strongly affirmed the right of citizens to own guns for hunting and self-protection – just as the Court has similarly determined that the Second Amendment is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for any purpose whatsoever. Previous federal legislation has criminalized machine guns and other militarized weapons (grenades, rockets and missiles) to the benefit of public safety.
Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional concerns or comments on this or any issue of importance to you.
Sincerely,
Rick Nolan
Member of Congress
Hope you Iron Range liberals are happy with your choice.
Thank you for contacting my office and sharing your concerns about the need for a comprehensive approach to reduce and prevent gun violence while continuing to protect our Second Amendment rights.
We can no longer ignore the need to implement policies that protect our children and communities confronting the reality of daily gun violence and threat of senseless mass shootings. To that point, I believe the primary focus must lie in better and more holistic mental health care. The perpetrators of violent acts, such as those that recently occurred in Newtown and Minneapolis, demonstrated serious mental health problems and we need to address this first and foremost.
It's a fact that tens of millions of Americans experience mental health issues of one kind or another, many that often go untreated and undiagnosed. While it is rare for mental illness to drive people to acts of extreme violence, other consequences such as alcoholism, abuse, depression and joblessness do render many people frustrated, hopeless and unable to live life to the fullest when absent treatment. We absolutely need to expand our health care system to provide better mental health services to benefit not only those who suffer from these conditions, but also families, friends, colleagues and society as a whole.
I know that responsible gun-ownership is an integral part of our heritage in Minnesota – I am a lifelong sportsman and gun owner, and have hunted in northern and central Minnesota my entire life. The annual firearms duck and deer openers are a family tradition where we enjoy exercising our Second Amendment rights with friends each fall. While I sincerely wish that all Americans held as healthy an attitude and respect for firearms as the majority of Minnesotans do, there is a criminal element in this country that has exploited various loopholes in existing law and legally gained easy access to an arsenal of weapons with the intention of bringing harm to others.
More so, it has become too common for these weapons to fall into the hands of the mentally disturbed and those in personal crisis. Therefore, as I work to commit more resources to help people with mental health issues, I also intend to push for more thorough background checks on gun sales, restrictions on high-capacity magazines and a limitation on assault weapons. I will insist this legislation protects responsible hunters and gun owners by exempting specifically-named weapons used for hunting and sporting purposes and grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment.
Finally, as lawmakers consider options that would make it more difficult for troubled individuals to obtain access to an arsenal of guns and ammunition that were originally designed for use on the battlefield, it is important to note the U.S. Supreme Court has strongly affirmed the right of citizens to own guns for hunting and self-protection – just as the Court has similarly determined that the Second Amendment is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for any purpose whatsoever. Previous federal legislation has criminalized machine guns and other militarized weapons (grenades, rockets and missiles) to the benefit of public safety.
Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional concerns or comments on this or any issue of importance to you.
Sincerely,
Rick Nolan
Member of Congress
Hope you Iron Range liberals are happy with your choice.
