Contact Pat Toomey to express disappointment with his 2A wishy-washiness

[Prophet]

Message received from Senator Pat Toomey;

Dear ***********

Thank you for contacting me about gun control. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you may know, January 16, 2013, President Obama announced a variety of gun policy measures in response to the Newtown, CT killings. I therefore value knowing your views on this important issue, which is important to me as I carefully review the President's proposals. Like many Pennsylvanians, I believe that Second Amendment rights are important and must be protected, but there may be areas of agreement with the White House that can be addressed to improve public safety. I also believe that people who use guns in an illegal manner or harm others with them should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

That said, we have consistently observed that mass killings are the result of serious mental illness. We therefore need to better protect ourselves from mentally ill individuals who seek to carry out such atrocities, including improved background checks. We also need to review and improve how we take care of the mentally ill. As I continue working with my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle on public safety, please be assured that I will keep your views about firearms in mind.

Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

My response;

Dear Pat Toomey,

Every law-abiding firearm owner in Pennsylvania I've talked to recently has expressed severe disappointment in your seemingly half-hearted support of the Second Amendment. I also was disappointed by the very rank-and-file response I received from you concerning recent attacks on our civil liberties.

You stated in your message that certain White House proposals could be agreed with. It is of my own and the vast majority of gun owner's opinions that none of the president's proposals can be agreed with, but we are curious as to which of his or the vice president's measures you seem to find agreeable. Before formulating a response, please bear this in mind; many attempt to illustrate the perceived need for stringent controls on our civil right to keep and bear arms and other civil rights by using the 1st Amendment comparison for not being permitted to yell "fire" in a crowded theatre. While this may be true, consider that we do not regulate the 1st Amendment by requiring individuals purchase permits to speak, much like we do here in the state of PA if one wants to protect himself discreetly or in his or her car. Nor do we limit them to certain types of speech or tools with which free speech may be disseminated, such as bans on computer keyboards, telephones, and typewriters. Nor do we require those law-abiding citizens entering the make-believe theatre to place duct-tape over their mouths in fear and anticipation that one of them may yell "fire". If a citizen yells "fire" in a crowded theatre, laws are meant to punish them after they commit the crime if panic ensues; not before. Please also realize that American citizens over the past few decades have been willing to accept certain infringements on their civil right to keep and bear arms, such as the GCA of 1968 and, here in Pennsylvania, being required to purchase and renew a license to defend ourselves with a firearm discreetly or in our cars while states like Arizona have passed Constitutional Carry laws permitting their citizens to carry a firearm for defense without any such permit. Many have acquiesced to such infringements in hopes that no further infringements would follow, but we are quickly beginning to realize this is not, nor will ever be the case.

As a Senator I would expect you to know this, but laws, particularly those concerning our God-given civil rights such as the Second Amendment, are not meant to prevent crimes from happening by harshly punishing decent, law-abiding citizens. Such laws almost always fail disastrously, if you'll remember the prohibition era or the assault weapons ban of 1993. Laws are meant to appropriately punish criminals for their deeds after they commit them, which our collective and massive failure to accomplish I personally feel is an exponentially greater contributor to the sub-culture of violence and criminal recklessness that exists in America than are responsible, law-abiding citizens such as myself who will only use any firearm we own, regardless of style or nature, as a recreational passtime, for hunting, or for defense of ourselves and other Pennsylvanians; be it against the common criminal or enemies foreign and domestic.

Please consider that I will not support you in any of your future political endeavors as I have done in the past if you do not prove a hardline stance in defending the invaluable civil liberties of Pennsylvanian citizens such as myself, liberties that countless Americans have fought, suffered and died for. I am very politically vocal in my community, and I can assure you that they also will waver in their support for you in lieu of your response should it be less than satisfactory.

The existence of the Second Amendment is vital to the continued security and survival of Pennsylvania, as well as to the entirety of the United States.

We patiently await your response.

Sincerest regards,

Please be polite and informative, but don't be afraid to throw some potency behind your words. You can contact Toomey using the following form;

http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact

And you can hit his facebook page; http://www.facebook.com/patricktoomey

[Qtrborecrazy]

Told ya so, he's another Obuma sell out. He could care less about your second amendment rights. Ill be on the phone monday and talk to the little snotty bitch he has working for him in DC. TOLD YA SO!

[c45man]

Km
Toomey is a politician who enjoys his membershp in the senate. I do not pretend to understand his vagueness. he is savvy enough to realize that the anti gunners were not the reason for his entrance into the senate. It will be gun owners that will end his career if he should forget the former.

[RenoV8]

Your response was well written and to the point.

If he doesn't get it, he never will. I say we vote all of these spineless weasels out of office.

[GrumpyBear]

Just emailed him to let him know that I have a very dim view of his present stance.

[Prophet]

For the record, I haven't liked Toomey from the get go. I wanted Peg Luksik on the ballot. She had a town hall by phone when she was running and I started listening in just as she was asked a question concerning the Second Amendment. I remember her answer being top-notch. Too bad Toomey running effectively threw her campaign under the bus.

Ill be on the phone monday and talk to the little snotty bitch he has working for him in DC.

I have plans to call if I don't receive a response soon. Hopefully whoever I get in contact with isn't too terrible.

If anyone wants to use my message to Toomey as a form letter or as a platform to start your own please do. The more concerned folks who contact him the better. I'm going to keep contacting him at least weekly until I get a response.

edit; does anyone have any representatives they're having problems with? My representative is awesome, so I'm willing to write to your representative if they're in the tank for gun control. Post them up here so we can contact them.

[Prophet]

Today I forwarded my message from Pat Toomey to NRA-ILA, and received this response a few hours later.

Thank you for contacting the NRA-ILA. We appreciate you forwarding us this response from Senator Pat Toomey. I am forwarding it on to our Federal Affairs office for further action. Thank you again.



Sincerely,



Erik

NRA-ILA

[bluedog46]

Well we primary him in 2016.

I am sick of republicans taking us for granted as of late.

I would rather hand the government back to the democrats. Look at how bad they did last time ( house, presidency, senate).

I know its not popular to say ( but thought by many) that if we are going to have a second american revolution or war between the states I think conservatives are alot better off now with demographics before they shift heavy toward left leaning groups and while we have our guns.


Republicans need to know "No votes for turn coats"

[ideaman]

I sent this:

Dear Senator:
Rumor has it you are wavering on your campaign promise to defend our 2A rights. I encourage you to stand firm as you promised if I voted for you.

Stand firm against any bans, universal background checks, etc.etc. Since early 19 century citizens base their sport weapons on the military and their self defense weapons from the police. When the police went from revolver to semi-auto pistol so did the citizens. If the experts,(police), felt they needed them to combat the criminals then so should the citizens. After all the victims are the first to meet the criminals. The police always come later.

[Prophet]

Republicans need to know "No votes for turn coats"

*cough* Specter *cough*

I also received the exact same response from Toomey, twice in the last month, after sending him multiple emails on this topic. My most recent email to Toomey which was sent this past weekend is below.

I'm glad to see you used my form letter and can appreciate the improvements you made, good job.

Since early 19 century citizens base their sport weapons on the military and their self defense weapons from the police. When the police went from revolver to semi-auto pistol so did the citizens. If the experts,(police), felt they needed them to combat the criminals then so should the citizens. After all the victims are the first to meet the criminals.

Reading this, I take it you read Massad Ayoob's column. Good point to make.

Be sure to pass Toomey's contact info around to anyone else you think might be riled up enough to send a message. Personally I want to get to the bottom of this, and I'll dog it all the way through to the next election cycle if I have to. Someone needs to hold politicians like Toomey accountable, it may as well be us.