Senator Specter Responds

[scjbob]

I contacted Sen. Specter urging him to sign the amicus curiae letter that was being circulated by Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Tester and this is his response:

Dear Mr. Combs:

Thank you for contacting my office about the amicus curiae Senators are submitting to the Supreme Court in the pending D.C gun ban case, District of Columbia v. Heller. I appreciate hearing your opinion on this important matter.

Millions of Americans across the country are responsible gun owners; only a fraction of gun owners use firearms inappropriately. In 1975, the District of Columbia city council passed a law that banned residents from owning handguns, automatic firearms, and high-capacity semi-automatic firearms even in their homes and prohibited the possession of unregistered firearms. Many feel this law infringes on D.C. residents' constitutional right to bear arms as expressed by the Second Amendment. In the Heller case, six D.C residents sued the District in order to challenge this 1975 ban. In March of 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard this case and ruled in favor of the D.C residents, finding the gun ban to be unconstitutional. This important ruling was the first in the United States to strike down a gun ban based on the Second Amendment and to interpret the Second Amendment as protecting an individual's right to own a firearm for private use. The Supreme Court decided to hear the case and is expected to publish a decision on the matter by summer of 2008.

Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and John Tester (D-MT) recently led a bi-partisan effort to craft an amicus curiae, or "friend of the court" brief, to send to the Supreme Court in the Heller case. I joined 54 other Senators in signing the bi-partisan brief, which urges the Supreme Court to maintain the D.C Circuit's decision to strike down the gun ban. This brief is consistent with my longstanding commitment to maintaining Second Amendment rights for all responsible U.S citizens.

Throughout my tenure as a United States Senator, I have had a strong record of protecting the right to own firearms. In 2005, I co-sponsored the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This law limits civil liability of gun manufacturers by reducing frivolous lawsuits against the manufacturers. In 2007, I supported an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which prohibited any funding provided by this legislation to be used for the purpose of confiscating firearms during a natural disaster or another state of emergency. I believe these two laws, as well as the amicus brief, support and protect the right of citizens to bear arms.

Again, thank you for contacting my office. The views of my constituents are important to me, and I rely on you and other Pennsylvanians to keep me informed of your views and opinions. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 202-224-4254.




Sincerely,

Arlen Specter

[billamj]

This is good news. I'm glad to see that he is responding to his constituents.

[sjl127]

He didn't answer the question though.

Did he sign it?

[Intrigue]

I actually emailed him this morning, so I'm awaiting his response. Thanks for posting.

[sjl127]

If I were senator, my reply would be something like this:

Dear Mr. Combs:

Thank you for contacting my office about the amicus curiae Senators are submitting to the Supreme Court in the pending D.C gun ban case, District of Columbia v. Heller. I appreciate hearing your opinion on this important matter.

I signed the brief like John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence.


Sincerely,


sjl127

[Rule10b5]

I'm glad he signed it, but Arlen's far from a staunch defender of the RKBA.

And, besides, if it were up to him, we'd all only get one bullet.

/try the veal, and remember to tip your server!

[Zef_66]

He didn't answer the question though.

Did he sign it?

Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and John Tester (D-MT) recently led a bi-partisan effort to craft an amicus curiae, or "friend of the court" brief, to send to the Supreme Court in the Heller case. I joined 54 other Senators in signing the bi-partisan brief, which urges the Supreme Court to maintain the D.C Circuit's decision to strike down the gun ban. This brief is consistent with my longstanding commitment to maintaining Second Amendment rights for all responsible U.S citizens.

Its okay... I missed it the first time I skimmed it as well.

[unclesam099]

It's a stock letter, I got the same one today.

[Brick]

Arlen Spector was one of the original signatories of the Congressional amicus brief. See the "Heller Amicus Brief" thread in the National section of this forum

[CHAUKA]

I recieved the same letter this morning from Arlen Spector.

He did sign & supports.

I didn't get anything back from Casey