The People's Email Network Last 25 Messages Transmitted Log Go Back Time For Federal Gun Regulation ********** [195847:022214] L.t., San Bruno, CA we can nrvrt let up on this, no one else can die 0 I've had it ********** [170234:021113] K.M., Mobile, AL It has become so ridiculous that we protect guns more than we do life. Universal backround checks should be a no-brainer. I don't understand why anyone needs automatic or semi-automatic weapons or a millions bullets. At the very least, we should not allow the sale of ammunition and weapons on the internet. It takes more to get a fishing license in Alabama than it does to buy a gun. It seems the only thing that would change your mind is if something happened to your child or grandchild. Sad, really sad. Additionally, I think a person should have to take a gun safety class before they can own a gun. I had a gun and never thinking about where the bullet went once it left the chamber, I was target practicing and when I missed, the bullets were going through the woods straight to an occupied house. I could have killed someone. In the end, I did shot myself in the leg. You have to learn to drive, so you should surely learn to shot before you operate a gun. ********** [120533:013013] G.B., Delavan, IL Guns must be controlled and not left up to marketing propaganda or the individuals security needs which are often driven by for neurotic imbalance. Those that live with the gun more often than not die by the gun. ********** [110420:012013] E.B., Seattle, WA If the gunnuts say "I have a right to bear arms", then it must be limited to the technology of 1791, when the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution - a single shot: pistol, rifle and shotgun! Also, we need 3 sucessful annual psychiatric exams for all gun owners and applicants and no sales at gun shows!!! ********** [152527:011313] B.S., Arnold, MD I hope we can get background checks on all people buying guns before they are able to buy them. I hope we can get rid of semi-automatic weapons owned by individuals. I hope guns will have locks so that only the purchasers can use them. I would also like guns to be restricted in public places. They are now allowed in parks. How could that have happened? People, who want their guns, can use them in the states where they go hunting and it is regulated. I don't believe the Constitution says people can carry guns. It is written in the context of militias. We have a well developed military system now, not militias. I understand that some people like guns, while I do not. Perhaps they can use them in their own environment. Nobody is allowed to take the law into their own hands. They would not have to defend themselves if there weren't so many guns around. We don't live in the old West, like in the movies. Thank you. ********** [070926:011313] B.G., Machiasport, ME Automatic weapons are not for hunting wildlife nor for defending your home. - they are for killing. They belong in the military, not in our homes. Please work for sane gun regulations. ********** [232120:011213] L.D., La Jolla, CA We must act now and prevent other innocent people from getting murdered. ********** [103017:011213] C.G., Hollywood, FL Assault weapons and high capacity magazines have no place in the hands of ordinary citizens. These weapons should be reserved for use by the military and law enforcement Every individual who wishes to purchase a gun should have to undergo a background check, and the loophole permitting the purchase of a weapon by anyone at a gun show should be closed.It is shameful that so much gun violence is a daily fact of life in our country. Truly, you are remiss in your duty if you do nothing to halt the slaughter of the innocents. ********** [115343:010913] J.E., San Luis Obispo, CA At least ban semi automatics and magazines, please ********** [152357:010713] S.V., Cambridge, NY As a nurse and a mother I am fully support the text of this letter ********** [194951:010513] L.T., Cicero, IL Guns are designed to be as efficient as possible at killing their target. Everything from the design of the weapon to the bullets is done with this in mind, to cause the most amount of damage possible. That is why guns are designed to shoot more bullets in the least amount of time, and for them to travel the farthest. Then you have bullets that expand once they enter the target (be that a human or other animal), causing the most internal damage to make sure the target dies. So you see, guns DO kill people. Of course a human has to fire it, but that is what they are meant to do. ********** [013606:010413] L.C., Cleveland, OH I do not feel safe in public spaces anywhere in the U.S. As citizens of this country, we are all potential victims as long as anyone can purchase assault weapons and ammunition. I have no objection to hunters using guns for their sport, but I see no reason for assault weapons to be on the market. They were designed for warfare. ********** [062710:010313] K.T., Wheaton, MN Although not a gun enthusiast, I respect the rights of others. Responsible gun owners purchaase their guns legally, register them, store them unloaded in locked cabinets, install trigger locks, practice gun safety and are generally mentally stable-they never treat guns as toys! When thay aim their gun they're prepared to kill and when they hunt they eat what they shoot. If everyone agreed to these terms maybe we could get the guns out of the hands of children, criminals and mentally unbalanced people. ********** [190111:010213] p.H., Millbrae, CA Those who argue that the 2nd Amendment grants unlimited gun ownership rights must also recognize it is a federal constitutional amendment. And for those able to read and comprehend a COMPLETE sentence in the English language, it was never intended to operate outside of a "well regulated militia." We must therefore institute reasonable gun regulation at the federal level, not leave it solely up to states to turn their territories into shooting galleries, and feed deadly weapons of mass murder to buyers from states with more sane and responsible laws. Weapons should only be in the hand of military personel and not the private citizens. ********** [170901:010213] B.B., Chesterfield, MO In a democracy where people can freely vote for their represetatives there is no need for automatic or semi automatic guns in the hands of people. ********** [090232:010213] R.E., Sunnyvale, CA We cannot wait any longer do not put this urgent matter on hold. We must act now as a nation who cares deeply about our citizenry. ********** [072709:010213] J.S., Seaford, DE I completely agree that there is no reason any type of automatic or semi-automatic weapon needs to be owned by individuals. Maybe ammunition should be tracked as well - if a person is buying ammunition at several stores or a large amount of ammunition at one store, there should be some type of tracking and alert system in a country-wide database for authorities to use. ********** [050247:010213] J.Z., Lady Lake, FL When the 2nd amendment was ratified the signers didn't even know about automatic weapons (guns), only single bullet in one gun at a time, so now the 2nd amendment has been stretched to include other types of weapons (guns)? this should certainly be taken into the Supreme Court for scrutiny? ********** [040004:010213] L.F., Hewitt, NJ I completely DISAGREE with any form of gun control. I have owned guns for 25 years and have never committed a crime. Your intended bill will make me a criminal for owning the guns I already have. Try enforcing the laws already in place such as pshycological evaluation before gun ownership. I admit Guns are dangerous tools and should only be owned by sane and safe people. So are chainsaws. However, whether a gun holds 5 bullets and I buy 10 magazines, or the gun holds 50 rounds and I own one magazine, one is not more dangerous than another. What is the point? Is it really about saving lives or is it about trying to fool the voters into thinking you have done something to make their lives safer? I contend that criminals will violate ANY law regarding gun ownership and that these and similar laws only affect law-abiding citizens. In the end, only these citizens will suffer from such laws. ********** [102654:123112] J.D., Dover, NH Even thought here is a major Gun manufacturer that creates hundreds of job in the town I grew up in, Society and best interest of this country is more important and should take precedence here. Eliminate the sale and manufactur of all assault weapons and have stiff mandatory penalties for those who manufacture and acquire them. We must find ways to make America the least violent nation in the worl instead of the most violent nation in the world. "the whole workd is watching". ********** [071744:123112] S.R., Alhambra, CA Owning arms as a private citizen should not include owning semi-automatic weapons, armor piercing ammunition and even bullet proof vests and jackets. ********** [052830:123112] R.C., Amherst, WI The only people who have a reason to possess semiautomatic pistols and assault weapons are the military, the police period. The general public does not need weapons meant to kill people, not deer. ********** [191007:123012] W.L., Seattle, WA We have an opportunity right now to act with sanity and integrity, to honor the families of those murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary, and to change some woefully outdated and unsafe laws. It's time to open our eyes and address the serious issue of these deadly assault weapons. It is unacceptable that they are being sold to citizens. We have no use for them, as their sole purpose is mass killing. Time to stand up for what's right. In my opinion, it is not my right or anyone else's right to own a weapon that can kill other human beings, especially the kind used in the recent tragedy. It is my right, and the right of all of us, to live in a safe and peaceful society. Let us respond with open hearts and peaceful minds, and create the kind of society and world we want to live in. ********** [102741:123012] D.C., Woodland, WA There is not much I can add to this well worded and rational argument for federal gun control. I have always maintained the rationale behind America's 2nd Amendment's was more pertinent to its time than it is to today's. Bearing of side arms by the populace in the nuclear age is now largely a gratuitous right, unless we also pack SAM missiles and the like. We simply cannot hope to bring down our government gone awry with superior firepower. Delusions to the contrary have resulted only in the pitting of armed Americans against one another and the slaughter of innocents. Let's move gracefully and intelligently into the 21st century. ********** [084816:123012] L.F., Saint Augustine, FL My husband has been a hunter for many many years. My son is a target shooter. Neither they nor I, nor those we talk with can come up with a rational reason why an individual needs to own a weapon designed for military and police use - i.e. designed to kill people. We cannot understand why a gun should have the ability to shoot large numbers of rounds before having to be reloaded. This is something the military and police require. There does NOT seem to be any reason why EVERYONE WHO PURCHASES A GUN does not have to go through a background search. We can and will keep our guns. Did you ever notice that those who instill fear have their own personal agendas something to personally loose or gain?- They, or their companies, have a great deal of money to make from the sale of guns. The more people who own guns the more power it gives them or their organization. With such power comes RESPONSIBILITY. DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE CAN AND HAVE RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF MANY - UNFORTUNATELY INCLUDING INNOCENT CHILDREN. We acknowledge we cannot stop all violence. We cannot cure all cancer. BUT that does not and should not stop us from making every effort to lessen death and suffering, to stop what we can, to be RESPONSIBLE AND THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHO AND WHAT WE SUPPORT. ********** Go Back