Letters to the government

I swear… I really wanted my last post to be the last on this topic… but then I got my city newspaper this morning.

The top headline this morning: Morrisville mayor asks retailer to halt some gun sales. This was a request, an open letter actually, and had no force of law. It seems both Morrisville and Cary recognize that their options are pretty much nil so my outrage is fairly blunted, but still, this had me seeing red for a couple minutes. So, I did my civic duty.

Here is a letter to the newspaper which is apparently going to be included as a letter to the editor in an upcoming print:

Mayor Holcombe,

In regard to your open letter to Gander Mountain, you recently mentioned we need to “look at what the Second Amendment means and what it was intended to do.” The Second Amendment was written to be the last source of power the American people have to force our will upon our government. You seem to want to have a discussion on how to avoid or eliminate the Second Amendment, and I find that horribly inappropriate. We must find the reasons for these tragedies and deal with the issues that cause them. Finding ways, even by simple request, to limit the rights of Americans is a solution in search of a problem and will do nothing to lessen the scope, number, or impact these tragedies have.

And a full letter I’ve written directly to the mayor:

Mayor Holcombe,

As a resident of Morrisville, I am deeply concerned by your open letter to Gander Mountain and your comments on it. Two items in particular are very concerning to me.

First, you mentioned, “People have said they feel so unsafe when I see how packed the parking lot is at Gander Mountain,” as if that should be a point of concern for anyone. People don’t have the right to feel safe by what ever measure they choose. They have the right to be safe in their person. Just because someone feels unsafe, doesn’t mean they are, and it certainly doesn’t mean something must be done to make them feel better.

Second, and more seriously, you said, “We need to look at what the Second Amendment means and what it was intended to do.” The second amendment, was written with the expressed purpose of being the last resort for Americans to force their will on the government. We may live in a democratic republic, but we don’t get to choose who runs for office and we’re not allowed to leave an office empty if no candidate is worthy of our votes. There may come a day when our government no longer serves us and the second amendment is the only measure we have to protect ourselves. Any government office at any level attempting to have a discussion on what limits are appropriate and what they can do to curb the rights of Americans for the “public good” is tantamount to saying we have no rights and the only protection Americans have against the government is the government itself.

I beg you to reconsider your position. We, as a society, must stop blaming to the tools that people use to harm others and instead get at the root of the problem. Without addressing the emotional issues that cause people to commit mass murders, we will always have them no matter what tools are available. First and foremost, we must stop the 24hour multi-day news cycle that follows any atrocity. All we do when we give these events publicity is validate the emotional need for recognition and show these deranged people how to become infamous. Worse, it seems we’re doing everything we can to scare the public every time something like Sandy Hook happens, which may in itself be a means to an end.

Thank you for reading

I’ll post back any replies or hate mail I get 🙂

Also, for good measure, here is a letter I sent to my federal and state representatives some time ago:

Statistics the world over have shown that specific weapon bans and even magazine capacity bans have a negligible effect on gun violence. Our own country has shown that, even while gun laws are becoming more forgiving, violent crime and even gun crime is down by massive amounts over the last 10 years and especially the last 50 years.

History also shows what happens when a government slowly erodes the individual’s right to own and use firearms. I don’t believe for a second any of my representatives are bent on totalitarian rule, but I do believe it is imperative to protect my right to defend myself, my family, and my country should the need arise against all enemies with the most effective tools available.

I beg you to reject any and all legislation limiting the weapons and rights that a law abiding citizen has and can use. I implore you to recognize any law requiring me to register myself and my firearms with any government entity as a violation of my 1st and 2nd Amendment rights and a future violation of my 4th Amendment rights. Instead, I ask you to consider the following measures which have a possibility of helping to actually prevent future crime:
– Define federal minimums for background checking to own firearms.
– Remove all “gun free zones” from law for conceal carry permit holders whose states meet minimum background check requirements.
– Make it illegal for anyone not licensed/permitted to conceal carry in a state meeting federal minimums for background checking to cross state lines with a loaded/unsafe weapon.
– Require anyone buying or transferring a weapon privately or commercially to undergo minimum background checking.
– Require all weapons in a home where a person may not legally own a weapon (underage, felon, etc) to be rendered inaccessible/inoperable while not in possession of a person who can legally own a weapon.

Obviously… I won’t promise this to be my last post on the topic again… but I do promise I’m done being angry about it, or at least done posting angry stuff.