I am very dissapointed in two of the latest laws you signed.

First, I am outraged that you have created new restrictions on hand guns.  Gun control does not work, and the laws you just signed will do nothing to deter crime.  All this will accomplish is to make it more difficult for good law abiding citizens to acquire handguns for home defense and personal protection.  These new restrictions and red tape will do NOTHING to deter criminals and bad guys from obtaining handguns and will NOT prevent them from committing violent crime.  California already has one of the toughest gun control policies in the Union, and the measures you have introduced go in the wrong direction.

I am also very disturbed by the domestic partner law making it easier for gay and lesbian couples to adopt children and create a family.  You are helping to dissolve the traditional family by allowing gays and lesbians to raise families and children.  This is completely wrong, a family can only be created between a man and a woman.  Gay couples should not be recognized as domestic partners and should not be able to raise children--that is perverse and ungodly.   I had hoped that you would turn out to be more moderate, but now I see you are a flaming liberal.

I wanted to personally inform you that I will not ever vote for you again.  With these two laws that you have passed, it is quite clear that you are against traditional American values.  I look forward to voting you out of office.  Thank you.


Sincerly,

Joseph and Leigh ********

Governor Gray Davis
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
[email protected]


Dear Governor Davis,

Sir, I am writing you in regards to SB52 and AB35, two bills which unnecessary punish law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to prevent crime or accidental death as the result of firearms misuse. In 1994, when the BFSC program was instituted, gun owners were led to believe that the program would not lead to gun registration or additional requirements, such as renewal of the certificate at a later date. Seven years later, we are faced with new legislation, this time with the additional requirement that the safety certificate be renewed every five years. Worse yet, failure to renew in a timely fashion results in submission of the ownerÂ’s name and address to law enforcement for prosecution. As a long time gun owner, I am a firm believer in firearms safety. However, like driving an automobile or riding a bicycle, I also know that the safe handling of firearms is not something one forgets in five years. Quite the opposite is true.

Furthermore, the arguments in favor of additional restrictions and certificates as an aid to the prevention of accidental shootings simply do not hold water. In its 1999 report, the CDC rated accidental death as the result of firearms misuse to account for a miniscule 0.1% of all deaths in children between the ages of 0 and 14 years. In 1996, the CDC reported that 21 children under the age of 15 died from accidental shootings. In fact, for the past 10 years shooting deaths in general have declined in California, yet during that same time we witnessed a constant barrage of anti-gun legislation coming out of our state Senate and Assembly. The reasons for new legislation are, of course, purely political.

The truth of the matter is the majority of deaths associated with firearm misuse in children are related to gang activity and criminal behavior. And the statistics presented by groups such as the MMM and Violence Policy Center are hopelessly skewed as they include 18-19 year-old gang members and criminals in the category "children".

It is my conclusion that SB52 and AB35 address a problem that does not exist. The bills do not address firearm misuse by gang member and criminals -- the greatest misusers of firearms -- and only punish law-abiding citizens, who, of course, are the individuals who do comply with the law.

Sir, I humbly ask you to refuse to sign these unnecessary bills and to demonstrate to Californians that you are a man who does not fold under special interest pressure. During this time of national emergency, we certainly do not need our rights violated by our own government. If anything, firearms use should be promoted during this time.