Thank you for contacting me to share
your opposition to assault weapons legislation. I respect your opinion on this
important issue and welcome the opportunity to provide my point of
view.
Mass shootings are a serious problem
in our country, and I have watched this problem get worse and worse over the 40
years I have been in public life. From the 1966 shooting rampage at the
University of Texas that killed 14 people and wounded 32 others, to the Newtown
massacre that killed 20 children and 6 school teachers and faculty, I have seen
more and more of these killings. I have had families tell me that they no
longer feel safe in a mall, in a movie theater, in their business, and in other
public places, because these deadly weapons are so readily available. These
assault weapons too often fall into the hands of grievance killers, juveniles,
gangs, and the deranged.
I recognize that the Second Amendment provides an individual right to bear arms, but I do not believe that right is unlimited or that it precludes taking action to prevent mass shootings. Indeed, in the same Supreme Court decision that recognized the individual right to bear arms, District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court also held that this right, like other constitutional rights, is not unlimited. That is why assault weapons bans have consistently been upheld in the courts, both before and after the Heller decision. I believe regulation of these weapons is appropriate.
Once again, thank you for your
letter. Although we may disagree, I appreciate hearing from you and will be
mindful of your thoughts as the debate on this issue continues. If you have any
additional comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact my
Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Senior can testify I am opinionated, sarcastic at times, and insists on having the last word...so here is my reply to her:
Dear Senator,
Well if you
believe that regulation of these weapons is appropriate, then are you also
going to introduce legislation to regulate vehicles, knives, baseball bats, kitchen
utensils, dogs i.e.: pit-bull terriers, airplanes, box cutters pillows, rope,
piano wire, arrows, anti-freeze, water, surgical equipment? I ask this because all of the items I have listed
have been used to commit multiple murders. It is
an honest question which no politician I ask it of, can ever seem to answer.
My point is that
your letter makes no sense, and it is an attempt to justify a knee jerk
reaction. Anything in the hands of the
wrong person can be used as a weapon. Are we going to start chopping off hands
because a person strangles his or her victims? Senator, if there is a will to
commit the crime, then the perpetrator will find a way. After all, Cain slew
Able with a rock.
