Libercontrarian

Crushed between the wheels of capitalism and big government.

An Astonisingly Well-Written Support Of RKBA - From A Politician!

Recently seen, from John Boehner of OH (R), in response to a voter's concern:

Dear Joey :

Thank you for contacting me regarding the 1994 "assault weapons" ban. It is good to hear from you.

In 1994, the House of Representatives voted by a slim margin of 216-214, to ban the manufacture and sale of 19 specific semi-automatic firearms. Please be aware that I fought against the ban in 1994 and will once again oppose it should any similar measure come before the House floor.

Violent crime is a serious issue in our nation, and I have consistently fought for stronger enforcement of federal violent crime laws and for stronger penalties for violent criminals. I voted against the 1994 gun ban, however, because I believe that banning these firearms was more of a symbolic gesture to a particular constituency than a serious and substantive attack on violent crime. In addition, I do not believe that it is right to deny the legitimate rights of Americans who own firearms when it can't be proven that the ban would substantially and directly reduce crime.

It is important to recognize the facts about semi-automatic firearms. These guns use the same ammunition as other types of firearms and are not inherently more powerful or dangerous than other firearms. The only substantive difference between the banned semi-automatic firearms and the still legal semi-automatic firearms was that the banned ones happen to look more menacing. By contrast, an automatic weapon, also called a "machine gun," fires multiple shots rapidly with a single pull of the trigger. The federal government has severely restricted machine gun ownership and sale since 1934 including completely banning several types. The "assault weapons" ban has absolutely no effect on these guns. No semi-automatics sold to civilians are readily convertible to automatic fire. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) does not approve for sale any firearm that is easy to convert into a machine gun. It is already a felony to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a machine gun. In fact, in the last 50 years, no civilian has ever used a legally owned machine gun in a violent crime.

The guns banned under the 1994 bill are not the ones most frequently used in killing people. Despite the political rhetoric, semi-automatic rifles are rarely used in committing crime. Criminals nearly always choose handguns because they are more easily concealed. There is no factual basis for the case that a semi-automatic firearms ban stops gun violence or takes these guns out of the hands of criminals. In fact, 97% of police officials believe that criminals would still be able to obtain illegal weapons even if a ban on all rifles, shotguns, and handguns were enacted.

Although military-style weapons are given high-profile on the nightly news, a Justice Department study revealed they are used in less than 1% of all violent crimes. In fact, banning every type of semi-automatic firearm does not reduce the crime rate. Studies have repeatedly shown that states with the most restrictive gun control laws continue to show the highest rate of homicide per capita. Conversely, states with the least restrictive gun ownership laws have the lowest murder rates. Why? Because criminals do not obey gun laws.

Today, Americans own about 30 million semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. Many people in the Eighth District of Ohio use the guns listed in the ban for a wide range of legitimate firearms purposes including self-defense, hunting, recreational and competitive target shooting, and collecting. In the days leading up to the vote in 1994 on the semi-automatic firearms ban, I received an overwhelming number of calls and letters from my constituents who use the banned guns for these purposes. Outlawing semi-automatic firearms only restricts the ability of law-abiding citizens to purchase these guns for their legitimate personal use.

During the debate of this issue in the House of Representatives, I was reminded of the television scenes from the Los Angeles riots where Asian store owners were forced to defend themselves and their property from the crazed mobs bent on looting their property. Many of the store owners used semi-automatic weapons. If this ban had been in effect then, these law-abiding property owners would have been left without protection to the ravages of the lawless mob. Instead of taking guns out of the hands of law-abiding Americans, we should get tough on criminals by enforcing the laws already on the books, including stiffer penalties for crimes committed with guns.

Thank you again for contacting me regarding this important issue. Please continue to keep me informed of your concerns.

This kind of understanding of the RKBA is the quintessence of what we are seeking in a politician. Too bad they're all not this well-informed.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 28, 2007 18:50 | link | comments |

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