Response from Senator Bob Casey

[Pghgunnut]

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about recent proposals to reduce gun violence. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.

As you know, on December 14, 2012, an individual in Newtown, Connecticut forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire on teachers and staff in the building. In total, the perpetrator murdered 20 students between the ages of six and seven years old, as well as six adults, many of whom heroically sought to stop the shooter and save the lives of children. According to reports, the shooter possessed a military-style semiautomatic weapon and was able to kill many children and adults very quickly. He also allegedly used magazines containing up to 30 rounds of ammunition and carried hundreds of rounds more. After much reflection and careful study of the issue, I have decided to support a federal assault weapons ban as well as legislation restricting high capacity magazines. In light of what occurred at Sandy Hook, these are two measures that could lessen the chances that this will happen again.

On March 21, 2013, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada introduced S. 649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013. S. 649 would prevent convicted criminals and the mentally ill from purchasing firearms, limit illegal gun trafficking, and provide schools with resources to improve school security. Specifically, it includes three pieces of gun legislation which had previously been reported out of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary: S. 374, the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013; S. 54, the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013; and S. 146, the School and Campus Safety Enhancements Act of 2013. On April 11, 2013, I joined 67 of my colleagues in voting to begin debate on the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act.

On April 17 and 18, 2013, the Senate voted on a number of amendments to S. 649. I joined 54 of my colleagues in voting for an amendment offered by Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, which would have protected Second Amendment rights while strengthening the background check process for purchasing firearms and extended the background check requirement to gun shows and certain internet sales. I also voted for an amendment offered by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California which would ban military-style assault weapons while exempting over 900 weapons used for hunting and sporting purposes. An amendment was offered by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, which I supported, which would have regulated large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Unfortunately, these measures did not receive the 60 votes necessary for passage. The Senate also voted on a number of other amendments which did not pass, including an amendment to address gun trafficking, an amendment to allow for reciprocity for concealed carry permits, and an amendment protecting the Second Amendment rights of veterans and their families.

On April 18, 2013, I joined 66 of my colleagues in agreeing to an amendment to S. 649 to withhold funding from law enforcement entities which release confidential information on law-abiding gun owners and victims of domestic violence. I also joined 94 of my colleagues in voting in favor of an amendment to reauthorize and improve programs related to mental health and substance abuse disorders. S. 649 as amended did not receive a final vote by the Senate, and may be considered by the Senate again at a later date.

I was very disappointed that the Senate chose to reject sensible gun legislation to keep our children and communities safe from violent criminals and terrorists. Like many Americans, after Sandy Hook, I was horrified by how those children died - shot at close range with a high-powered rifle with each child hit as many as 11 times. I was also haunted by what could have happened if the killer had more time - he was prepared to slaughter hundreds of children. As members of the U.S Senate, we must ask: have I done enough to reduce the likelihood that this ever happens again? We must do more to protect our kids.

I am a strong defender of the Second Amendment. Pennsylvania has a rich tradition of hunting and I believe strongly that people should be able to have guns for protection, sporting and collection. But, I also believe we need sensible gun legislation that will help to prevent these tragedies. This should not be the end of the road. We owe it to our children to redouble our efforts to do everything in our power to prevent another tragedy.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.

For more information on this or other issues, I encourage you to visit my website, http://casey.senate.gov. I hope you will find this online office a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator

P.S. If you would like to respond to this message, please use the contact form on my website: http://casey.senate.gov/contact/

[Metz]

Stupid fucker.

[BimmerJon]

What a loser

[JenniferG]

I called Casey "the man with no brain" when he was running for Senate, he hasn't changed my opinion. The only people that stand on the same ground as far as brains are concerned were the idiots that voted for him expecting him to honor the second amendment.

[Berks_Iraq_Vet]

Casey is a Party drone.

[John222]

His father was terrible govenor and Bob Jr. is a waste of space as a Senator.

[jthrelf]

He's been giving that same canned response for awhile now. I just can't believe he has the audacity to say he is a "strong defender of the second amendment".

[Jhaydeno]

He's been giving that same canned response for awhile now. I just can't believe he has the audacity to say he is a "strong defender of the second amendment".

He doesn't, one of his 20-something year old college interns wrote that. They were just practicing spin for when they run for office. If Casey Jr. had written that there would have been many more grammatical and spelling errors!

[bob308]

he needs to go. maybe next election we can make it happen.

[duane1]

He's a Spineless asscrack