I wrote:
Dear Senator Lugar,
I have been reviewing your voting record and have seen a very
frightening trend. You have gone from voting pro gun to very anti gun and
Anti American. What really brought this to my attention was your vote to
support the Million Mom March, or what I call the Misinformed Mothers march.
Let me give you a little history about myself. I am a 22-year-old male. I
am a Gun owner, and I have had my life put in danger by person armed with a
gun. I used to be what people call a fence sitter. I was neither Pro-Gun
nor was I against gun ownership though. This changed one day when a man
attacked me on my own property, while I was leaving for work. I was lucky.
I was in a position where I could get away with only minor injuries. I
called the police and they showed up. 20 minutes later they showed up. Now
I had two options. I could blame the criminal or I could blame the gun. I
sat and thought about it. What if I had not been able to get away? What if
my mother had been home? I may have gotten away but what about her? She
could have been raped, killed or both. So both my father and me went out
and purchased two handguns the next week. Much to our shock we found out
that we had to wait a week. WHAT!!! We needed protection now. What if he
came back? The police were 20 minutes away at best. This has been proven
already. Lucky for us he did not.
In the past two years I have become very involved in the Right
to Keep and Bear Arms. I studied gun control laws on the books. I was
frightened and shocked to find that they are patterned after German Gun
control laws from Pre World War Two. I have read the constitution many
times. And I have discovered that I do have rights as an American. You can
read the second Amendment many ways in today's terms. But one thing remains
true. The bill of rights refers to the rights of the people. This includes
the Second Amendment. ."The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall
not be infringed". It is kind of hard to argue against that. So what does
this mean? It means that every Gun control law on the books is Illegal.
Now I am not saying that EVERY person should be able to own firearms.
Criminals lose their rights when they are convicted so they have no right to
own a weapon. But what about the 40 year old woman who is being stalked by
her ex husband? Sure she can get a Restraining order but as I have stated
before, how long will it take the police to get there IF she can even call.
I find the Instant check system an interesting and possible solution to the
problem of criminals having guns. But it does not work. I went today to
buy a gun and found out it was down. Luckily for me I have a permit so I
was not denied my constitutional right because of a computer glitch. But
there was a young woman there who was looking to buy her first gun. I
talked to her. Her ex Boyfriend had been stalking her and had killed her
dog two days ago. He has threatened her life many times but the police can
do nothing. More than once she said he has walked through the restraining
order she has against him. Now her life is in danger and she wanted to take
measures to protect herself. But she could not because of a computer
glitch.
In addition NICS is supposed to be instant. Yet many people
have to wait for 3 days. What if this woman comes back tomorrow and gets
delayed by the computer? Then that night as she lays in bed the man comes
in and strangles her with the phone cord, or stabs her? This is gun control
at work. It is not saving lives of innocent people. It is helping
criminals do what they do best.
Other laws are just. Well for lack of a better word they are
ignorant. The 1994 Assault weapons ban comes to mind first and foremost. Can
you tell me how many Crimes have been committed by legally owned weapons that
fit the descriptions covered in this law? And please tell me how a Flash
suppressor makes a weapon more dangerous? Or a Bayonet Lug? My personal
Favorite is that these weapons can no longer have collapsible stocks. This
means nothing to criminals. But what it does mean is that my good friend who
is small can not shoot her favorite weapon very well because the stock on it
is to large and I can not put a collapsible on it for her.
I could go on an on about this. I could look through the Laws on gun
control and quote ones that make you scratch your head and wonder what the
lawmakers were thinking.
In the past my family has supported you. We have voted for you
and supported your choices as a Senator. But now we question the wisdom of
our support. I know that none of us have plans to vote for you in the next
election unless you change the way you have been voting. Every time you
vote to support Gun control you are putting a nail in the coffin of every
American. When one right falls others will follow. What is next? The
first amendment? The 4th? If you want to cut down on crime then punish
criminals. Do not punish everyone else by passing laws that make us
criminals. What kind of world is it where I am treated like a second-class
citizen because I choose to exercise a right that is guaranteed by the
document that this Country is built on? What kind of country is it where I
have to wade through hundreds if not thousands of laws just to make sure I
am not breaking some obscure and pointless law that will land me in jail
with a huge fine.
Thank you for your time,
Kevin Welz
And here is his reply. He does a great job of saying nothing at all and not addressing anything that I said:
Dear Mr. Welz:
Thank you for your email.
The nation and Congress recently have had extensive debates on the
subject of crime and gun control.
From my service as a mayor, I learned that some of the most
effective methods of stopping crime involve innovative initiatives by
local communities to support law enforcement and create an atmosphere
of responsibility. Public officials, churches, civic organizations,
the press and citizens must promote personal accountability and a
clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong.
Parents, in particular, must bring up their children in an atmosphere
that promotes personal responsibility and respect for others.
While imparting values to children is a parental responsibility,
enforcing the law is a responsibility of government. Unfortunately,
the Clinton administration has failed at this responsibility in too
many cases. The expectation must be established that violent crime
will be punished. We can target violent criminals without sacrificing
the rights of law-abiding gun owners who responsibly possess guns for
hunting, collecting, and defensive purposes.
Measures focused on preventing criminals from obtaining weapons and
prosecuting those who commit gun crimes are necessary components of
the broader efforts to reduce crime. Studies have shown that although
many criminals buy guns illegally, many others obtain them through
legal channels and are simply not detected. We will not completely
cut off the illegal supply of guns to criminals. But it does not
follow that we should not do our best to prevent criminals from
purchasing guns. Enforcement is the key. I support programs such as
Virginia's Project Exile. This program teams federal prosecutors with
local law enforcement to put felons in possession of firearms behind
bars. Background checks should not only be used to prevent criminals
from buying guns, they should be a tool in the process of apprehending
and prosecuting criminals when they attempt to buy guns illegally.
No one should regard gun control legislation as a panacea for
preventing gun crime. Nor should we expect that gun control
legislation will prevent every tragedy like the Columbine massacre.
Obviously crime and violence have a great many causes. But a system
of background checks aimed at preventing criminals, juveniles, and the
mentally ill from purchasing guns in violation of existing law can
make a contribution to crime control. I have supported a system of
background checks since my time as mayor, and I support including
purchases at gun shows within the broader background check system.
Our country should move to an effective instant check system as
rapidly as possible so that checks will not delay legitimate gun
purchases. I also oppose maintaining permanent records created by the
checks. The goals should be to detect, arrest, and prosecute any
criminal who attempts to buy a gun, while ensuring that law-abiding
citizens of age can exercise their right to purchase a firearm within
the parameters of the laws of their state.
I don't believe that these goals are mutually exclusive. As a
society that both suffers from extraordinary rates of gun violence,
but also has a Constitutionally-guaranteed right for individuals to
bear arms, we should be willing to devote the requisite resources,
technology, and energy to achieving both goals. In the best case,
instant check technology would minimize inconvenience to law-abiding
citizens, while providing law enforcement with a tool to apprehend
those who are breaking the law.
I am grateful for your interest in this vital issue, and for taking
the time to communicate your views to me.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
Dear Senator Lugar,
I have been reviewing your voting record and have seen a very
frightening trend. You have gone from voting pro gun to very anti gun and
Anti American. What really brought this to my attention was your vote to
support the Million Mom March, or what I call the Misinformed Mothers march.
Let me give you a little history about myself. I am a 22-year-old male. I
am a Gun owner, and I have had my life put in danger by person armed with a
gun. I used to be what people call a fence sitter. I was neither Pro-Gun
nor was I against gun ownership though. This changed one day when a man
attacked me on my own property, while I was leaving for work. I was lucky.
I was in a position where I could get away with only minor injuries. I
called the police and they showed up. 20 minutes later they showed up. Now
I had two options. I could blame the criminal or I could blame the gun. I
sat and thought about it. What if I had not been able to get away? What if
my mother had been home? I may have gotten away but what about her? She
could have been raped, killed or both. So both my father and me went out
and purchased two handguns the next week. Much to our shock we found out
that we had to wait a week. WHAT!!! We needed protection now. What if he
came back? The police were 20 minutes away at best. This has been proven
already. Lucky for us he did not.
In the past two years I have become very involved in the Right
to Keep and Bear Arms. I studied gun control laws on the books. I was
frightened and shocked to find that they are patterned after German Gun
control laws from Pre World War Two. I have read the constitution many
times. And I have discovered that I do have rights as an American. You can
read the second Amendment many ways in today's terms. But one thing remains
true. The bill of rights refers to the rights of the people. This includes
the Second Amendment. ."The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall
not be infringed". It is kind of hard to argue against that. So what does
this mean? It means that every Gun control law on the books is Illegal.
Now I am not saying that EVERY person should be able to own firearms.
Criminals lose their rights when they are convicted so they have no right to
own a weapon. But what about the 40 year old woman who is being stalked by
her ex husband? Sure she can get a Restraining order but as I have stated
before, how long will it take the police to get there IF she can even call.
I find the Instant check system an interesting and possible solution to the
problem of criminals having guns. But it does not work. I went today to
buy a gun and found out it was down. Luckily for me I have a permit so I
was not denied my constitutional right because of a computer glitch. But
there was a young woman there who was looking to buy her first gun. I
talked to her. Her ex Boyfriend had been stalking her and had killed her
dog two days ago. He has threatened her life many times but the police can
do nothing. More than once she said he has walked through the restraining
order she has against him. Now her life is in danger and she wanted to take
measures to protect herself. But she could not because of a computer
glitch.
In addition NICS is supposed to be instant. Yet many people
have to wait for 3 days. What if this woman comes back tomorrow and gets
delayed by the computer? Then that night as she lays in bed the man comes
in and strangles her with the phone cord, or stabs her? This is gun control
at work. It is not saving lives of innocent people. It is helping
criminals do what they do best.
Other laws are just. Well for lack of a better word they are
ignorant. The 1994 Assault weapons ban comes to mind first and foremost. Can
you tell me how many Crimes have been committed by legally owned weapons that
fit the descriptions covered in this law? And please tell me how a Flash
suppressor makes a weapon more dangerous? Or a Bayonet Lug? My personal
Favorite is that these weapons can no longer have collapsible stocks. This
means nothing to criminals. But what it does mean is that my good friend who
is small can not shoot her favorite weapon very well because the stock on it
is to large and I can not put a collapsible on it for her.
I could go on an on about this. I could look through the Laws on gun
control and quote ones that make you scratch your head and wonder what the
lawmakers were thinking.
In the past my family has supported you. We have voted for you
and supported your choices as a Senator. But now we question the wisdom of
our support. I know that none of us have plans to vote for you in the next
election unless you change the way you have been voting. Every time you
vote to support Gun control you are putting a nail in the coffin of every
American. When one right falls others will follow. What is next? The
first amendment? The 4th? If you want to cut down on crime then punish
criminals. Do not punish everyone else by passing laws that make us
criminals. What kind of world is it where I am treated like a second-class
citizen because I choose to exercise a right that is guaranteed by the
document that this Country is built on? What kind of country is it where I
have to wade through hundreds if not thousands of laws just to make sure I
am not breaking some obscure and pointless law that will land me in jail
with a huge fine.
Thank you for your time,
Kevin Welz
And here is his reply. He does a great job of saying nothing at all and not addressing anything that I said:
Dear Mr. Welz:
Thank you for your email.
The nation and Congress recently have had extensive debates on the
subject of crime and gun control.
From my service as a mayor, I learned that some of the most
effective methods of stopping crime involve innovative initiatives by
local communities to support law enforcement and create an atmosphere
of responsibility. Public officials, churches, civic organizations,
the press and citizens must promote personal accountability and a
clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong.
Parents, in particular, must bring up their children in an atmosphere
that promotes personal responsibility and respect for others.
While imparting values to children is a parental responsibility,
enforcing the law is a responsibility of government. Unfortunately,
the Clinton administration has failed at this responsibility in too
many cases. The expectation must be established that violent crime
will be punished. We can target violent criminals without sacrificing
the rights of law-abiding gun owners who responsibly possess guns for
hunting, collecting, and defensive purposes.
Measures focused on preventing criminals from obtaining weapons and
prosecuting those who commit gun crimes are necessary components of
the broader efforts to reduce crime. Studies have shown that although
many criminals buy guns illegally, many others obtain them through
legal channels and are simply not detected. We will not completely
cut off the illegal supply of guns to criminals. But it does not
follow that we should not do our best to prevent criminals from
purchasing guns. Enforcement is the key. I support programs such as
Virginia's Project Exile. This program teams federal prosecutors with
local law enforcement to put felons in possession of firearms behind
bars. Background checks should not only be used to prevent criminals
from buying guns, they should be a tool in the process of apprehending
and prosecuting criminals when they attempt to buy guns illegally.
No one should regard gun control legislation as a panacea for
preventing gun crime. Nor should we expect that gun control
legislation will prevent every tragedy like the Columbine massacre.
Obviously crime and violence have a great many causes. But a system
of background checks aimed at preventing criminals, juveniles, and the
mentally ill from purchasing guns in violation of existing law can
make a contribution to crime control. I have supported a system of
background checks since my time as mayor, and I support including
purchases at gun shows within the broader background check system.
Our country should move to an effective instant check system as
rapidly as possible so that checks will not delay legitimate gun
purchases. I also oppose maintaining permanent records created by the
checks. The goals should be to detect, arrest, and prosecute any
criminal who attempts to buy a gun, while ensuring that law-abiding
citizens of age can exercise their right to purchase a firearm within
the parameters of the laws of their state.
I don't believe that these goals are mutually exclusive. As a
society that both suffers from extraordinary rates of gun violence,
but also has a Constitutionally-guaranteed right for individuals to
bear arms, we should be willing to devote the requisite resources,
technology, and energy to achieving both goals. In the best case,
instant check technology would minimize inconvenience to law-abiding
citizens, while providing law enforcement with a tool to apprehend
those who are breaking the law.
I am grateful for your interest in this vital issue, and for taking
the time to communicate your views to me.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator