Here is what I have typed up to send to Illinois state reps. I'd like to get some input and see your suggestions on what could/should be changed, added, condensed, or eliminated.
Dear Representative -------------,
Like millions of other Americans, I was horrified and saddened by the events in Newtown, Connecticut. I know that legislators all over the country are under pressure to do something to prevent these shootings from happening in the future. We would all like a workable solution to be found, but Illinois gun owners also want their rights to be respected and left alone. What I have seen in the last couple of weeks from Obama, certain people in Congress, the media, the anti-gun lobby, and lawmakers at the state level is perhaps some of the most disgusting and reprehensible political opportunism and exploitation of innocent deaths in recent memory. What I am seeing right now is more than just a knee-jerk, emotional reaction. I’m seeing an organized and concerted effort to capitalize on a horrible tragedy for the purpose of pushing through an agenda to ban guns and destroy another of our already dwindling rights at both the federal and state levels.
I'm contacting you today to inform you that Illinois gun owners are paying very close attention to the anti-gun bills that have been introduced in the state legislature. These outlandish and unconstitutional assaults on the peoples’ right to keep and bear arms are not appreciated. Also, do not think that gun owners in other states will turn a blind eye and quietly allow the evisceration of gun rights in Illinois. All gun owners know that a successful assault on the rights of Americans anywhere will embolden those who would attack them everywhere. I understand that you are being pressured to do something that would help prevent incidents like Newtown from occurring again, but as a gun owner, I cannot and will not allow the destruction of my Second Amendment rights.
In the several bills that have been introduced, there are proposed restrictions that are so broad and so sweeping that they would ban virtually all lawfully owned firearms in the state. They also propose measures that would criminalize every lawful gun owner, shut down shooting ranges, and make gun ownership so expensive and so restrictive that it would be impracticable. Of course, none of these bills would do anything to affect firearms illegally possessed by convicted felons and madmen, or stop their use in the commission of crime and mass murder. The slew of legislation that has been introduced seeks to label virtually every lawfully owned and possessed rifle, shotgun, and pistol as an "assault weapon". Aside from the fact that the term "assault weapon" is a vague blanket term with no technical meaning, the firearms that would be banned are, in fact, used for a variety of lawful purposes including defense of one's home and family, as is the intent of the Second Amendment. It has absolutely nothing to do with hunting and cannot be defined within the context of "sporting purposes", although firearms such as the AR-15 are in fact widely used for hunting, bench-rest match shooting, and three gun competitions. As I mentioned before, gun owners are keenly aware that the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut is being exploited by the media and politicians to destroy their rights and to ultimately empower an already dangerously powerful federal government and Cook County political juggernaut. Illinoisans and those outside the state are standing together and paying attention to how you vote on all anti-gun bills and amendments such as the "assault weapon" amendment to SB 2899. Should any of these bills make it to the governor's desk and pass, there will be political ramifications, and gun owners from out of state will make it a point to avoid spending money in Illinois or conducting transactions with Illinois businesses.
Do not believe that the arguments of "reasonable restrictions" or "common sense laws" hold any water. These are feeble and transparent attempts to reassure owners of certain types of guns that what they own will be left alone by power-drunk officials who ultimately want them all banned and confiscated. All of the leading proponents of gun control in the United States, Senators Feinstein, Schumer, Lautenberg, McCarthy, Mayor Bloomberg, Sarah Brady, et. al. have all publicly stated this desire. We do not believe that the case is any different at the state level. We know that what is being discussed now is an incrementalist approach to total disarmament of all American citizens, just as in the UK and Australia. In those countries, politicians sought to ban handguns and semiautomatic long arms while hoping to curb opposition by assuring hunters and target shooters that they could keep their big game rifles or trap shooting shotguns. The ruse worked, and today, all firearms are banned in those countries except for only a very few people who have the time, money, and persistence to go through an extremely complex and restrictive process to acquire any kind of firearm. It is a process which is deliberately designed in such a way as to discourage anyone who wishes to legally have a gun. Again, criminals in those countries do not obey the law, and they have experienced rising violent crime rates despite the gun bans. American gun owners have not deluded themselves into believing they are any less vulnerable than their counterparts in Australia, the UK, and other countries that have been so disarmed, but the same rhetoric will not work so easily on us. Today, the discussion focuses on scary looking semi-automatic guns that resemble those used in military applications. Tomorrow it will be all types of handguns, bolt action big game rifles (which will undoubtedly be demonized as "sniper rifles"), and then it will be everything else.
As gun owners, regardless of what types of firearms we own and what we use them for, we are all united to ensure that we will continue to own and use those firearms lawfully and that the Second Amendment will be respected. My most sincere suggestion to you, the governor, and all others in the state legislature is that if you do have a genuine desire to prevent Newtown-like tragedies rather than simply disarm the law-abiding, then you should direct your efforts toward the availability of mental health services. Additionally, reduction of the crime problem in Chicago and elsewhere should focus on unemployment and better education. It is ridiculous to believe that you can stop or reduce crime by turning the law-abiding into criminals, or to punish thousands of Illinois gun owners for the actions of a few deranged individuals. We demand that you oppose any and all anti-gun proposals in the state legislature.
As has been stated before, Illinois gun owners are not going to tolerate the violation of their gun rights, and are being joined in the fight by gun owners in other states. We will donate money to pro-gun organizations such as the ISRA to help ensure that anyone who votes against gun rights is unseated in the upcoming election.
Sincerely,
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