I sent this letter to about 25 MA legislators last fall and received responses from 3 of them. Above the law, holier than thou a**holes!! Besides the poor response, these pr*cks will bend if enough people write and call, because they're self-serving and egocentric (not that I have any strong opinions!)!
Representative Moran
Massachusetts State House
Boston, MA 02133
October 19, 2013
Dear Honorable Representative Moran:
I am writing to ask you to please oppose both Governor Patrick’s and Representative Linsky’s recent gun control proposals that, I feel, unfairly target law abiding gun owners in Massachusetts. I am both a liberal Democrat and a gun owner, and while I certainly support some gun control I am outraged by much of the content of these proposals.
It is well known that our state has very strict gun control laws and, in fact, I agree with the vast majority of them. However, this latest wave of suggestions merely bullies licensed gun owners who, as a group, commit so few crimes they’re on a par with the number committed by police officers. We already have restrictions on “assault rifles” and magazines, limited to 10 rounds, for many years. Additionally, one can’t buy a handgun, rifle, or shotgun at a gun show in Massachusetts without going through the same procedure and comprehensive background check would the purchase take place at a Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer. It has also been a law for some time that guns must be kept under lock and key when not under the direct control of the licensed owner.
Guns have played an important role in not only our country’s history, but also in the lives of our citizens today. Law abiding gun owners use guns for target shooting, hunting, collection, and protection. Protection is a legitimate justification for gun ownership, regardless of what community one lives in, and both surveys and studies have shown that guns have thwarted crimes and prevented serious and loss of life 100,000-200,000 times per year nationwide.
I don’t believe that our rights and property should be taken away at all. These proposals don’t address gun crime in our state. They appear to be the result of an emotional disdain for gun owners. Are law abiding gun owners, who commit so few crimes as a demographic, going to be punished for the violent acts of criminals, who frequently are recidivists? Does an arbitrary 7 round limit mean that licensed gun owners will be charged and sentenced for having 10 in a magazine legally purchased years ago? If we want to stop crime, let’s have common sense laws that focus on the criminals and do not pick on the law abiding. Please do what you can to oppose these measures. Thank-you.
Sincerely,