Posted: 1/5/2007 11:06:14 AM EDT
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From Joe Waldron, of the Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, also President of the Washington Arms Collectors, AKA Our Man in Olympia: GOAL Alert 1-2007 5 January 2007 ACTION REQUIRED ACTION REQUIRED ACTION REQUIRED http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/298561_guns05.html 
The lead-in to today’s Seattle P-I story about the future of proposed gun control laws in Olympia sounds good for gun rights advocates. But is it? The true intent of the P-I is to build pressure on legislators to pass gun control legislation during the upcoming session DESPITE the fact that none of the proposals would have prevents Wednesday’s shooting at Foss High School or earlier high visibility shootings in King and Pierce counties. We can expect to see more news articles and editorials in the coming weeks calling for passage of Seattle Mayor Nickels’ “reasonable gun control” agenda, an agenda that was first announced last May and was broadcast again the same day of the Foss HS shooting. Of course the interesting this is that while the mayor’s four point program has nothing to do with recent shooting incidents, it is identical to Washington Ceasefire’s gun control agenda. The mayor is calling for passage of four new laws: Closing the non-existent “gun show loophole” Banning so-called “assault weapons” Mandating the use of locking devices on firearms Creating a “crime gun tracing program” Here’s the other side of the story on all of these proposals: Gun shows The “gun show loophole” is a myth, manufactured by the gun control lobby. Fewer than 1% of felons get their guns at gun shows (US DOJ study). All laws that apply to sales of guns, by dealers and by private citizens, outside of gun shows, also apply at gun shows. There is no “loophole.” The only gun shows conducted in the greater Seattle area – those put on by the Washington Arms Collectors – ALREADY require background checks before a gun may be purchased. No background check, no membership; no membership, no gun sales. “Assault weapons” These firearms are rarely used in crimes. These firearms are in fact are less lethal than the common duck hunter’s shotgun. Contrary to popular belief, these firearms are NOT “readily convertible to full automatic fire.” Approximately 200 high power rifle matches are conducted in Washington annually, matches where so-called “assault rifles” play a prominent part. Mandatory “safe” storage Washington’s existing reckless endangerment statute (RCW 9A.36.050) may already be used to prosecute irresponsible gun owners. Accidental shootings in Washington are rare. According to the CDC, accidental shootings don’t even make the “top 10” causes of accidental deaths among juveniles. Personal security requirements vary widely; one state-mandated size does not fit all. Trigger locks and loaded firearms are an inherently unsafe combination, something that all lock manufacturers caution against. Trigger locks do not prevent theft of firearms. “Crime gun” tracing The BATF already runs the National Tracing Center, available to all law enforcement agencies The Washington Department of Licensing already maintains the state pistol registry, where all handguns sold at retail are linked to the purchaser Tracing information is already available for criminal prosecution of violators. The true purpose for this so-called tracing scheme is to use the data to sue gun dealers and distributors because federal law prohibits such use of federal data. The true root cause of so-called “gun violence” in Seattle and other urban areas is the proliferation of gangs, of drug dealing, and of the failure of the criminal justice system to keep dangerous criminals incarcerated. All the gun control laws in the world won’t control these activities… just look at the gang and drug problem in England. I need you to do two things: Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, using the talking points above, to tell the truth about Mayor Nickels’ gun control scheme. Pick one topic, keep the letter down to about two to three paragraphs to increase the chance it will be published. Contact information (including e-mail addresses normally) for letters to the editor is available on the editorial page of your newspaper. Write or call your state legislators (one Senator and two Representatives) and ask them to keep you informed on proposed gun control legislation. Make sure THEY know that Mayor Nickels’ (and Washington Ceasefire’s) gun control agenda will have no impact on crime. You can reach your legislators through the legislative hotline at (800) Edited to take up less space... |
Just sent mine, only took a few minutes to write! Copy, change, and reuse if you like.
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Good idea. I've created a tacked post at the top of the forum that I will add each new GOAL post to as they are issued. I'd like to keep that thread as a reference only and have discussions held in threads dedicated to each new GOAL post. A link to the discussion threads as the are created will be provided within the tacked reference thread. |
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MY letter to the P-I - this should confuse them! ------------------------------------------- I for one am glad that it's unlikely that politicians' courage is too "weak" to make gun control a priority in this legislative session. I hope they are also too "weak" to attack our other basic rights, such as free speech, freedom of religion (any religion), reproductive choice and the right to assemble peaceably. The gun control bills considered in recent sessions have been stinkers: "gun show" bills that would seriously damage shows already doing background checks, "assault weapon" bans that would send police into houses to inspect storage lockers based on cosmetic criteria possessed by those firearms (guns that are underrepresented in crime). Democrats should focus on the positive aspects of their platform, reducing crime by giving people a hand up. Attacking one of the Republican party's few pro-rights positions is NOT the way to go. Sincerely, (me) (Address) (Phone) |