From Pete Sessions

[Jimineer]

Part of a response from Sessions to a letter I wrote him. Pretty wimpy response and not committed to 2A 100%. Please write him. Thx.

"As your Member of Congress, I support the right to bear arms as provided by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. I will also, however, continue to support local and federal agencies as they investigate this horrendous crime. I hope that by learning more about this case and others like it, we can better understand what leads to such unfathomable crime and do our best to prevent it in the future."

[JALLEN]

I don't see anything wrong with this response. He supports the Second Amendment, wants to learn more about how these tragedies occur and what can be done.

I'm not sure what else you could expect him to say at this juncture.

Obviously, we encourage his expressed view supporting the Second Amendment, and want him to educate himself about causes and preventions, about which we have a decided view.

[Heartland Patriot]

I don't see anything wrong with this response. He supports the Second Amendment, wants to learn more about how these tragedies occur and what can be done.

I'm not sure what else you could expect him to say at this juncture.

Obviously, we encourage his expressed view supporting the Second Amendment, and want him to educate himself about causes and preventions, about which we have a decided view.

I certainly don't want our side tipping their hand too early. Let the folks on the other side throw it all out there and blow hard in the public eye. Once your fine Senator files her mess of an over-reach, THEN I expect to see the resistance stiffen up. All she has done up to this point is to generate a LOT of ill-will amongst the citizenry, despite SOME support she has perhaps picked up.

[Jimineer]

JALLEN, I see your point and maybe I'm picking on his use of the word "however", but it's use indicates a willingness for compromise. You are either for the 2nd amendment (....shall not be infringed) or not. He does refer to cooperating with local and federal agencies, and we should be. Others have posted replies from their congressmen on another forum and they are much more direct. I guess that is what I would have expected given his record on opposing gun control.

[JALLEN]

Maybe. The reply seems consistent with the state of the law interpreting the Second Amendment (not absolute, some reasonable regulation, no absolute bans, etc.), admittedly not a "what part of 'shall not be infringed' do you not understand?" type of stance.

Maybe it's just me. I'd be tickled if our Congressman would be that tough on this, and sent a response like that. The one we've had for several Congresses is a Pelosi shill, but thanks to re-districting, we're in a different district, although that district just replaced the incumbent Republican, Brian Bilbray.

[PArrow]

In 2009, a total of 1,314 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those 1,314 fatalities, 181 (14%) occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Out of those 181 deaths, 92 (51%) were occupants of a vehicle with a driver who had a BAC level of .08 or higher, and another 27 children (15%) were pedestrians or pedalcyclists struck by drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher.


I don't see any calls to close bars or ban liquor. Nor do I see any of Congress screaming for an investagation..

They are building for serious blow against the 2A

[TxRVer]

Bloomberg claims to be a supporter of the second amendment, and we all know how he feels about your rights to buy guns.

I agree that the message is wimpy. The word "however" implies that your rights could pushed aside if they feel the need to protect the children from those nasty black guns.

[gthaustex]

I think Jimineer was hoping for something like what I received from Senator Hutchison below. Although she is outgoing and this letter doesn't cost her any political capital, it was still a good response to my concerns. Hopefully Ted Cruz sees things the same way.

Response to my letter on 2nd Amendment concerns in light of the latest incident:

Dear Friend:
Thank you for contacting me regarding gun control legislation and the protection of law-abiding citizens' right to own firearms. I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.
While we all support the strongest measures to ensure that guns do not end up in the wrong hands, I believe that one of the most powerful deterrents we have is the consistent, full enforcement of the numerous laws that already address many aspects of the problem. For instance, there are more than a dozen laws at the state and federal level that deal with the use, carrying, ownership, or trafficking of guns, and we must prosecute without qualification those who violate these laws.
Rather than usurping the rights of law-abiding citizens, I believe we should vigorously prosecute those who use guns to commit crimes. I have worked to enact federal anti-crime legislation that imposes tough minimum sentences on those convicted of using firearms to commit crimes, prevents early parole for violent criminals, and provides federal funds to build new prisons and fund local law enforcement. I will continue to support legislation that fights crime and upholds our Second Amendment rights.
On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court upheld the individual right to keep and bear arms in District of Columbia v. Heller. I submitted an amicus brief to the Court in support of affirming the District of Columbia's gun ban as unconstitutional, and was joined by 55 Senators, 250 House members, and the Vice President of the United States. This historic decision will affect gun laws throughout the country that try to unjustly undermine our rights under the Second Amendment.

I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator

284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5922 (tel)
202-224-0776 (fax)
http://hutchison.senate.gov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JALLEN]

Rev. Al Sharpton told a radio caller that it could be time for knife legislation in addition to gun laws.

“In any civilized society you do not see massacres continue to happen, from Tucson to Aurora to Columbine to Virginia Tech to where we are now in Newtown to Chicago and you keep the same laws when clearly they’re not working,” the MSNBC host said on his radio show Friday.

“What happens when the criminal goes to knives, Al?” the caller asked.

“Then you deal with knives,” Sharpton replied. “The same thing as if you have a head cold and the same thing you do if you have a head cold and the cold is gone and you have a headache. Then you take headache medicine. The job of society is to deal with whatever problem confronts it.”

Read more: http://www.970wfla.com/cc-comm...665846#ixzz2GqVbK2wI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gthaustex]

Sigh....Al Sharpton....what more can I say...

This is how knives would be dealt with...as they are facing that right now in the UK:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm

I know, let's just ban everything....

[Heartland Patriot]

"Did you really think we want those laws observed? said Dr. Ferris. We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it...There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." ('Atlas Shrugged' 1957)

I don't subscribe to all of Ayn Rand's theories by any means...but on some things, she hit the nail on the head with a sledgehammer.