Like firearms manufacturers Ruger and Smith & Wesson, Hornady, makers of ammunition, components, and reloading equipment, has stepped up to the plate with their own gun rights letter generator. The letter is a bit different than the others but it still can be sent to Congress, the State House and Senate, and other state level officials. More importantly, unlike Ruger and Smith & Wesson, the message can be edited and you can add in your own verbiage.
I know this is not the same as a personal letter that is mailed or faxed. Nonetheless it helps build numbers and numbers are important. The Ruger letter has been sent over 4.9 million times.
Here is their basic message that you can customize as you see fit. The message is stronger and more to the point than either of the letters from Ruger and S&W.
We need to be calling, faxing, and writing weekly to all of our elected representatives. We may not have the billions of Mayor Bloomberg to buy out of state congressional seats but I learned a long time ago that money, though important, isn't everything in politics.
As a voter who believes in the U.S. Constitution, I am writing to express my views on gun control legislation currently being discussed in every level of government. I am one of over 100 million law-abiding American citizens who responsibly owns firearms for target shooting, hunting, personal and home defense, and collecting. I care deeply about the Second Amendment, and I am closely monitoring legislation that would restrict my right to keep and bear arms.
I am saddened by the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, but I believe that efforts to impose new restrictions on me, a lawful and responsible gun owner, are misguided and unwarranted. The so-called "Assault Weapons Ban," which for a decade restricted the sale of semiautomatic rifles and limited magazine capacity to ten rounds, did not reduce crime, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice. And since the expiration of the ban in 2004, violent crime has declined.
Your focus should be on real solutions to the problem of misuse of firearms, such as strengthening mental health care and improving the quality of data supporting the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Do NOT pass more gun or magazine laws; instead, work to enforce the thousands of gun laws already on the books and help step up prosecution of criminals who commit violence and misuse firearms.
They should put their money where their mouth is and refuse to sell to those states, like Larue and Olympic, among several others. Anything else simply gives the appearance of action. Opinion letters don't work when legislators could give a damn about the authors' opinions.
ReplyDeleteActually, i disagree with anonomous. writing has an impact, and the more the better. last friday a running dog liberal rag paper in maine made a foia request for all the names, addresses and birthdates of all concealed carry licensees.. there has an instant and sunami-like shit storm that followed. calls, letters, emails cancelations and pulled advertising. by the end of the day, the paper rescinded the request, and tuesday a bill was passed in the liberal state senate and house to pass an emergency law to block any further similar request (which did occur from some snot nosed metrosexuals "from away" as we say here).. permanent law to follow. The squeeky wheel does get the grease. SPEAK UP LOUD, CLEAR, AND OFTEN.
ReplyDeleteGood for Hornady. I don't think we'll be in any danger of losing them in Nebraska. We're (mostly) firearm-friendly here. I do find it interesting, however, that Hornady sister Margaret supported gun control advocate Bob Kerrey in the most recent Senate race.
ReplyDeleteThe letter may be better than nothing, but it needs to have strongly worded opposition to "universal background checks" included.
ReplyDeleteSomething like: I strongly oppose any expansion of background checks to private sales. No system that could be implemented would have a meaningful effect without universal gun registration. Gun registration is just gun confiscation over a longer period of time, as has been shown by registration lists used to confiscate guns in New York and California. Canada just did away with their costly and ineffective gun registration scheme.
No "universal background checks". They are a direct attack on the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.