Thank you for contacting me about gun control legislation.  I appreciate knowing your concerns.

As you know, on June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller, that Americans have the individual constitutional right to keep and bear arms.  Although the Court ruled that individuals have the right to bear arms, it also stated that some government restrictions may still be valid, such as restrictions on owning machine guns, or prohibiting felons from possessing guns.  I fully support this Court ruling.

 Since being elected to Congress, I have supported some gun control efforts while opposing others.  For instance, I support the Brady Bill, which requires background checks for the purchase of handguns.  Before this bill went into effect, there was virtually no way to prevent convicted felons, mentally ill individuals, or minors from buying handguns.  However, I have opposed other legislation, such as the ban on semi-automatic weapons.  I do not believe that an entire class of firearms should be banned based on their appearance or the misuse of a small fraction of those guns.

There are a number of gun control measures currently being considered by Congress.  One such bill is known as the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act (H.R. 45).  I oppose this legislation because it places a number of onerous restrictions on a lawful individual's right to own a gun.

Thank you again for contacting me.  You can be sure that I will carefully consider every piece of gun control legislation that comes to the Floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.  With best wishes, I am,

                                                                                                   Sincerely,
                                                                                                   Vernon J. Ehlers
                                                                                                   Member of Congress

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