hot357lead
Member
First off, i have not posted up here in a long time but i figured that it might be helpful to fellow gun owners to post this up, i directly copied it from my email(with name blanked out for privacy concerns) and i will provide a screen-shot of it if i really need to 
. I feel it necessary to state i'm not trying to troll politics, and the last thing i want is to start a 
-slinging thread and give the antis any ground against us, at the risk of overstepping my bounds, i ask please keep any responses civil, not because me or anyone else is asking but to prevent any fallout that might come back to haunt us as fellow gun owners, and the gun owners of the future.
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Dear Mr. *******:
Thank you for contacting me about the federal response to gun violence in this country. Acts of violence such as those we have witnessed in the recent past have stirred many emotions and serious national debate about gun policy, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
The majority of gun-owners in Vermont and the United States are law-abiding citizens who handle their firearms safely and with respect, and who pass those values on to their children. Nonetheless, all of us, gun-owners and non-gun owners alike, are deeply concerned about guns falling into the hands of criminals.
In general, I believe much of firearms regulation should be carried out at a state and local level. Different states have different cultural attitudes toward firearms, and different public safety concerns and experiences. I have stated publicly since before I was first elected to Congress, I do support a ban on assault weapons. I know that some would disagree with this stance, but it is my firm belief that reinstating the ban is good public policy. On the other hand, I have also voted to prevent law abiding-citizens from being arbitrarily disarmed during a natural disaster, as well as during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Whenever firearms legislation comes before Congress I review it on a case-by-case basis to determine what makes sense from a public policy standpoint and whether the issue should be dealt with more appropriately by state and local legislators.
As your United States Senator, I strongly supported the NICS Improvement Act of 2007, which was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and is now public law. This law, which had the support of the National Rifle Association, has changed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to require information sharing between state and federal law enforcement agencies and authorizes the development of computer systems to catch potential gun-buyers with a history of mental illness and who continue to pose a threat to the public.
It is my hope that we use the lessons learned from the tragedy in Arizona to make every effort to prevent such terrible events from occurring elsewhere. To that end, we cannot limit this discussion to one of national gun control policy, but we must also recognize the need to improve access to critical mental health treatment for those in need.
Again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Feel free to contact me again in the future about this or any other subject of interest to you, or for up-to-date information on what my office is working on please visit http://www.sanders.senate.gov. While there, I invite you to sign up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at http://sanders.senate.gov/buzz/. Please be aware that due to security screening procedures, postal mail to my office experiences delays that will lengthen the time it takes me to get back to you. The fastest way to contact my office is by calling 1-800-339-9834.
Sincerely,
BERNARD SANDERS
United States Senator
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I'm sure im not the only one to get this "feel good" response, but heck if it helps anyone out to read it im glad i posted it. I also think it would be an excellent idea to post up response letters from all over the country to better see where our representatives TRULY stand.
. I feel it necessary to state i'm not trying to troll politics, and the last thing i want is to start a -slinging thread and give the antis any ground against us, at the risk of overstepping my bounds, i ask please keep any responses civil, not because me or anyone else is asking but to prevent any fallout that might come back to haunt us as fellow gun owners, and the gun owners of the future.--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. *******:
Thank you for contacting me about the federal response to gun violence in this country. Acts of violence such as those we have witnessed in the recent past have stirred many emotions and serious national debate about gun policy, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
The majority of gun-owners in Vermont and the United States are law-abiding citizens who handle their firearms safely and with respect, and who pass those values on to their children. Nonetheless, all of us, gun-owners and non-gun owners alike, are deeply concerned about guns falling into the hands of criminals.
In general, I believe much of firearms regulation should be carried out at a state and local level. Different states have different cultural attitudes toward firearms, and different public safety concerns and experiences. I have stated publicly since before I was first elected to Congress, I do support a ban on assault weapons. I know that some would disagree with this stance, but it is my firm belief that reinstating the ban is good public policy. On the other hand, I have also voted to prevent law abiding-citizens from being arbitrarily disarmed during a natural disaster, as well as during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Whenever firearms legislation comes before Congress I review it on a case-by-case basis to determine what makes sense from a public policy standpoint and whether the issue should be dealt with more appropriately by state and local legislators.
As your United States Senator, I strongly supported the NICS Improvement Act of 2007, which was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and is now public law. This law, which had the support of the National Rifle Association, has changed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to require information sharing between state and federal law enforcement agencies and authorizes the development of computer systems to catch potential gun-buyers with a history of mental illness and who continue to pose a threat to the public.
It is my hope that we use the lessons learned from the tragedy in Arizona to make every effort to prevent such terrible events from occurring elsewhere. To that end, we cannot limit this discussion to one of national gun control policy, but we must also recognize the need to improve access to critical mental health treatment for those in need.
Again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Feel free to contact me again in the future about this or any other subject of interest to you, or for up-to-date information on what my office is working on please visit http://www.sanders.senate.gov. While there, I invite you to sign up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at http://sanders.senate.gov/buzz/. Please be aware that due to security screening procedures, postal mail to my office experiences delays that will lengthen the time it takes me to get back to you. The fastest way to contact my office is by calling 1-800-339-9834.
Sincerely,
BERNARD SANDERS
United States Senator
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I'm sure im not the only one to get this "feel good" response, but heck if it helps anyone out to read it im glad i posted it. I also think it would be an excellent idea to post up response letters from all over the country to better see where our representatives TRULY stand.
