Need more representatives like Kelly

October 12, 2017



Dear Mr. E

Thank you for contacting me regarding gun rights. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is crucial to our freedom. It protects law-abiding citizens from government infringement on our right to keep and bear arms. The Founding Fathers believed this right was important enough to make it part of the Bill of Rights, and held that the right to keep and bear arms was the personal and fundamental right of all citizens.

Legislation to ban firearms, ammunition, and firearms equipment is often proposed in Congress as well as at the state level, but does little to limit violence. As we have seen in New York City and Washington, D.C., strict gun control policies do not lead to less violence or safer communities. Tragically, both cities have spent decades leading the nation in murder rates. Few criminals actually purchase weapons legally; restricting lawful gun use, therefore, is not the answer.

During the 115th Congress, I have cosponsored several pieces of legislation regarding Second Amendment rights, including:

H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow any person with a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that does not prohibit concealed carry;

H.R. 367, the Hearing Protection Act, which would remove suppressors from regulations established under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and eliminate the $200 transfer tax on firearm silencers; and

H.R. 3576, the Second Amendment Guarantee Act, which would prevent states from implementing any regulations on rifles and shotguns that are more restrictive than what is required by federal law.

I also continue to oppose the unconstitutional United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which Congress has rightly refused to ratify thus far. I will keep supporting legislation that protects the rights of law-abiding Pennsylvanians to keep and bear arms. Should any further legislation affecting your Second Amendment rights come to the House floor for a vote, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if I can be of assistance in the future. It is an honor and a privilege to represent Western Pennsylvania in the United States Congress.

If you would like to hear more from me on this issue and others, please subscribe to my newsletter at www.kelly.house.gov.


Sincerely,

Mike Kelly
Member of Congress