Sharing this in the event folks out there have writers block and/or have a tough time figuring out what to say ... Thoughts/editorial comments welcome .. If you want to reuse, please feel free ..

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Dear Congressperson:

I hope that you would consider standing for the rights of your constituents and the rights of the constitution both federally as well as within the state of Pennsylvania. Further, I strenuously OPPOSE ANY Legislation in support of ANY additional Gun Control or Gun Safety or Gun Violence legislation at any level of Government. I take this stance, not out of ideology, but out of belief and statistical analysis of factual data. I hope you will consider the below data and stand with me.

Crime statistics tell that “gun control” has never worked, ever. Magazine restrictions are idealism and ridiculous. Changing a 7 round magazine takes literally 2 second. An “Assault Weapon” ban has no statistical support either. First using the term “Assault Weapon” or “Weapon of War” is completely inaccurate. With two firearms firing the exact same way, referring to one as an “Assault Weapon” simply because it has scary features like a Picatinny hand rail or pistol grip is absolutely asinine. Rarely are these long rifles use at all in violent crimes.

If you are truly interested in making an impact on Gun Violence, start prosecuting against the current laws on the books and stop trying to add more frivolous laws that do nothing. According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), in 2010 of the 6 million Americans who attempted to buy a gun, about 76,000 were denied. Of those, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) referred 4,732 cases for prosecution. Of these, 44 people were prosecuted and 13 were punished."

To support the above, a 2012 analysis of Chicago, Los Angeles, New York shows that they are absolute bottom in rankings for prosecuting Federal gun crimes per capita . These three cities prosecuted the fewest Federal gun crimes including “illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone, illegal sale of a firearm to a juvenile, felon, or drug addict, and illegal transport of a firearm across state lines”.

Finally, in a PoliceOne.com poll of over 15,000 retired and active duty officers, most polled do not support any new gun legislation currently being proposed, saying that it would do little to promote officer safety or reduce crime rates. To summarize some of the findings:

o 96 percent said that a ban on standard capacity magazines would not reduce violent crime.
o More than 91 percent stated they supported the Right-to-Carry by law abiding Americans.
o 80 percent believe legally armed citizens can reduce casualties in incidents of mass violence.
o Nearly 80 percent said that a ban on private transfers of firearms between law-abiding citizens would not reduce violent crime.
o More than 76 percent indicated that legally armed citizens are important to reducing crime.
o More than 76 percent support the arming of trained and qualified teachers or administrators who volunteer to carry a firearm.
o More than 70 percent said that a ban on “assault weapons” would not reduce violent crime.
o More than 70 percent opposed the idea of a national registry of legal gun sales.

“Gun Control” is a fallacy. New gun laws WILL NOT affect the criminal with intent to do wrong. Therefore, I ask you this: Why are you standing for, or wavering towards, support for legislation that has been proven to not work and only impacts law abiding citizens? How can you, as an elected leader of the people, suggest supporting new laws when the current and adequate laws are not even supported/prosecuted throughout the country?

I hope this letter allows you to ponder your stance and rally beside all of us that support the Second Amendment and the US and PA constitutions.

Let’s get real on the realities behind banning anything associated to firearms.


Respectfully,

........ me .......
A concerned constituent



Footnotes:
i http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/was...ral-gun-crimes
ii http://gunssavelives.net/blog/poll-l...w-gun-control/