Draft of letter to legislators

[dmg1969]

Here is a draft of a letter to state legislators I have been working on in my spare time. I wanted to have something around for times when when anti-gun legislation is proposed. I would think that would be often now that the Dems are in control in Harrisburg. It can be quickly tweaked as needed depending on the legislation proposed and could even be amended for national legislators.

Let me know what you think.

Dear ____________:

I am writing about an issue which I and millions of other Pennsylvanians take very seriously. That subject is the Constitutional right of Pennsylvania citizens to keep and bear arms.

There is currently legislation proposed in the ____________ (bill no. _____) which would infringe on those rights afforded to us by the Pennsylvania State Consitution.

As a reasonable person, I ask that you allow me to explain my position on this matter.

Section 21 of the Pennsylvania State Constition states "The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned."

Now, many would argue that the wording in Section 21 refers to a State militia and is archaic because Pennsylvania and The United States have a professional military force as opposed to the militia of colonial times. I would point out that the phrase "in defense of themselves and the State..." does not limit the right to keep and bear arms to those in the military.

Those opposed to the right to keep and bear arms will also make claims such as a person is more likely to have their gun used against them. However, they will ignore the countless stories of law-abiding citizens who saved their own lives or the lives of others because they owned a gun.

These are simply arguements by people who are ignorant about guns and/or are afraid of guns.

They will rattle off statistics about guns and crime. I agree that anyone who uses a gun in the commission of a crime should be HARSHLY punished. However, we maintain the revolving door of justice which allows crimials to plea bargain their cases down to something less significant and, in turn, serve a fraction of what they deserved to. Incarceration is supposed to be a deterrant. Letting criminals bargain for what they will be charged with offers no incentive to change their behavior. If someone commits a crime with a gun, charge and sentence them appropriately. Rather than overhaul the justice system, the simple answer for these people is to restrict the Constitutional right of Pennsylvanians to keep and bear arms.

While quoting these crime statistics, they fail to admit that the vast majority of criminals obtain their guns illegally. Therefore, feel-good legislation like limiting gun purchases to one a month does little to reduce gun crime. The only ones affected by this type of legislation are law-abiding Pennsylvania citizens.

Another fact that they fail to address is that the vast majority of guns purchased or owned by Pennsylvanians are NEVER used in a crime.

In closing, I would ask that you vote against __________ Bill no. ____ and defend the Constitutional rights of Pennsylvanians you swore to defend in your oath of office.