Here is what I sent back to him:
September 12, 2004
Governor Mitt Romney
Massachusetts Republican Party
85 Merrimac Street, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02114-4175
Dear Governor Romney,
I just received your letter from the Republican National Convention at The Big Apple and I am delighted to hear that you are having a good time being around so many other Republicans. I know they are scarce on Beacon Hill, and believe me I have tried my best to send a few more up there to help run this Commonwealth.
However I am currently having a difficult time convincing myself to contribute more money to the Massachusetts Republican Party because of one of your recent comments. On July 1, 2004 you signed Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2004 which established some badly needed reforms in Commonwealth firearms laws. However, after signing this legislation you choose not to celebrate giving relief to the honest firearms-owning citizens of this Commonwealth. Instead you repeated some of the lies spread by the anti-gun crowd about so-called “assault weapons” and hailed the negative aspect of this bill.
The Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 is one of the biggest fabrications ever foisted upon the law-abiding citizens of this country. From the name of the bill (which in itself is a falsehood and is probably courtesy of Josh Sugarman and his strategy of purposely confusing semi-automatic rifles with actual machine/submachine guns which were already restricted) to the current tactic of inflating LEO death statistics from so-called “assault weapons” by combining deaths caused by rifles and those caused by “assault” pistols ) which were never a part of the original bill, this legislation has been a lie from beginning to end.
The vast majority of these rifles are owned by people like me who enjoy using them for sporting purposes. I am not talking about hunting, but rather informal and formal competitive target shooting. Target shooting on all levels is a sporting event with a long and rich history in this country. Many of the firearms referred to as “assault weapons” are the semi-automatic Colt AR-15s and copies thereof, which are the dominant firearms used in National Hi-Power Rifle competitions held all over this country and attended by both military and civilian personnel. They are NOT as you stated, “…instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.” I can assure you Governor Romney that my rifles and those of many other law-abiding firearms owners of this commonwealth do not, have, not, and will not fall into this blatantly false blanket condemnation.
To paraphrase your words from your convention letter, “I’m just so sick of it, Mitt, and that’s why I am writing to you…” And like you I am stating my case for help. I am looking for Republican leadership in Massachusetts who will understand what the Second Amendment of the Constitution really means to our people. I am looking to YOU to provide real leadership by standing up to the anti-gun crowd and say “I will NOT penalize the honest, law-abiding citizens of this Commonwealth by supporting a firearms ban which is based on falsehoods, blind anti-gun hysteria, and a distrust of our people.
At this point it appears that the National AWB of 1994 will sunset as well it should. It is time that this Commonwealth acknowledges that the national ban was ill-conceived, did not accomplish anything in the way of crime control, and that our laws should reflect the same.
I am a republican and strongly believe in the ideals of conservatism. However while I claim the Republican Party as my party of choice I am going to have to make some tough choices as to how I am going to financially support the party, and more importantly, the candidates who represent my views and my freedoms. My money will be going DIRECTLY to those candidates who best support my conservative ideals AND who demonstrate their commitment to the Second Amendment of the Constitution and our law-abiding firearms owners. When the Massachusetts Republican Party and its leadership show that they recognize that you cannot pick and choose among pro- and anti-gun positions then I will once again provide financial support to the party.
In closing I wish I could say that I expect a reply to my letter and an exchange of views on this obviously hot-button issue. However knowing the number of issues being dealt with on the local, state, and national level, I doubt my one letter will get much notice from your level. But I will be sharing this letter with other like-minded people in order to convince them to adopt my position and make better choices on how to spend their money when it comes to party support.
Sincerely,
South Hadley, MA
cc: MASS GOAL
Massachusetts Republican Party
September 12, 2004
Governor Mitt Romney
Massachusetts Republican Party
85 Merrimac Street, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02114-4175
Dear Governor Romney,
I just received your letter from the Republican National Convention at The Big Apple and I am delighted to hear that you are having a good time being around so many other Republicans. I know they are scarce on Beacon Hill, and believe me I have tried my best to send a few more up there to help run this Commonwealth.
However I am currently having a difficult time convincing myself to contribute more money to the Massachusetts Republican Party because of one of your recent comments. On July 1, 2004 you signed Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2004 which established some badly needed reforms in Commonwealth firearms laws. However, after signing this legislation you choose not to celebrate giving relief to the honest firearms-owning citizens of this Commonwealth. Instead you repeated some of the lies spread by the anti-gun crowd about so-called “assault weapons” and hailed the negative aspect of this bill.
The Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 is one of the biggest fabrications ever foisted upon the law-abiding citizens of this country. From the name of the bill (which in itself is a falsehood and is probably courtesy of Josh Sugarman and his strategy of purposely confusing semi-automatic rifles with actual machine/submachine guns which were already restricted) to the current tactic of inflating LEO death statistics from so-called “assault weapons” by combining deaths caused by rifles and those caused by “assault” pistols ) which were never a part of the original bill, this legislation has been a lie from beginning to end.
The vast majority of these rifles are owned by people like me who enjoy using them for sporting purposes. I am not talking about hunting, but rather informal and formal competitive target shooting. Target shooting on all levels is a sporting event with a long and rich history in this country. Many of the firearms referred to as “assault weapons” are the semi-automatic Colt AR-15s and copies thereof, which are the dominant firearms used in National Hi-Power Rifle competitions held all over this country and attended by both military and civilian personnel. They are NOT as you stated, “…instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.” I can assure you Governor Romney that my rifles and those of many other law-abiding firearms owners of this commonwealth do not, have, not, and will not fall into this blatantly false blanket condemnation.
To paraphrase your words from your convention letter, “I’m just so sick of it, Mitt, and that’s why I am writing to you…” And like you I am stating my case for help. I am looking for Republican leadership in Massachusetts who will understand what the Second Amendment of the Constitution really means to our people. I am looking to YOU to provide real leadership by standing up to the anti-gun crowd and say “I will NOT penalize the honest, law-abiding citizens of this Commonwealth by supporting a firearms ban which is based on falsehoods, blind anti-gun hysteria, and a distrust of our people.
At this point it appears that the National AWB of 1994 will sunset as well it should. It is time that this Commonwealth acknowledges that the national ban was ill-conceived, did not accomplish anything in the way of crime control, and that our laws should reflect the same.
I am a republican and strongly believe in the ideals of conservatism. However while I claim the Republican Party as my party of choice I am going to have to make some tough choices as to how I am going to financially support the party, and more importantly, the candidates who represent my views and my freedoms. My money will be going DIRECTLY to those candidates who best support my conservative ideals AND who demonstrate their commitment to the Second Amendment of the Constitution and our law-abiding firearms owners. When the Massachusetts Republican Party and its leadership show that they recognize that you cannot pick and choose among pro- and anti-gun positions then I will once again provide financial support to the party.
In closing I wish I could say that I expect a reply to my letter and an exchange of views on this obviously hot-button issue. However knowing the number of issues being dealt with on the local, state, and national level, I doubt my one letter will get much notice from your level. But I will be sharing this letter with other like-minded people in order to convince them to adopt my position and make better choices on how to spend their money when it comes to party support.
Sincerely,
South Hadley, MA
cc: MASS GOAL
Massachusetts Republican Party
