I am writing you today to ask you to oppose all new gun control that limits the rights of law-abiding citizens like myself. In the wake of the two criminal attacks last weekend, a number of gun control proposals have begun to circulate in our nation’s capital. These proposals would not have stopped those tragedies, and would only restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Background checks will not stop criminals from acquiring guns through theft or straw purchases. In fact, the ATF reported that, “[t]he most frequent type of trafficking channel identified in ATF investigations is straw purchasing from federally licensed firearms dealers. Nearly 50 percent…” Expanding the current background check system would not have stopped any of the perpetrators of high-profile mass shootings. All of these criminals either passed a background check or acquired a firearm through theft or a straw purchase. In addition to these extended background check proposals a ban on so called “assault weapons” has also been proposed. A 1997 Department of Justice-funded study of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban determined that “At best, the assault weapons ban can have only a limited effect on total gun murders because the banned weapons and magazines were never involved in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders.” Please do not punish the millions of law-abiding Americans who exercise their rights safely and legally because of the actions of criminals. Please oppose these new attacks on the Second Amendment.

I am asking you to oppose these new gun control proposals that have been circulating in Washington D.C. The recent tragedies were horrific but none of these proposals would have stopped them, or any other high-profile attack. These measures would only harm law-abiding gun owners like myself. Maine had a ballot measure for “universal” background checks last year, after $5.3 million spent by Bloomberg-backed gun control groups the measure failed to pass by 3.6 percentage points. In Nevada, Bloomberg-backed gun control groups spent nearly $19 million on a “universal” background check measure. This measure passed by less than 1 percentage point. These numbers show the disparity between the gun control advocates “97%” support and how voters actually feel about these measures. These measures do not stop mass shooters. According to a Department of Justice study 75 percent of criminals in state and federal prison who had possessed a firearm during their offense acquired the firearm through theft, “Off the street/underground market,” or “from a family member or friend, or as a gift.” Less than one percent got firearms from dealers or non-dealers at gun shows. We need to stop punishing law-abiding gun owners with new regulations because of the acts of criminals and enforce the existing gun laws instead. The continued interest in an “assault weapons” ban would ban the most popular rifle in the United States. The 1994 ban showed that these bans do not work. A 2004 follow-up Department of Justice-funded study determined that “the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.” Presented with the overwhelming evidence of the ban’s inefficacy, Congress did not renew it. Please, do not punish law-abiding gun owners for the actions of criminals. Oppose these new gun control proposals and stand up for law-abiding gun owners.

Today I am writing to you asking that you oppose the recently discussed gun control proposals. None of these proposed measures would have stopped the horrific attacks in Dayton and El Paso.. Expanding background checks will not deter violent crime. Even a recent study by anti-gun researchers found that expanded background checks “were not associated with changes in firearm suicide or homicide.” These “extended background” checks do nothing but add more undue burdens and costs to law-abiding gun owners. Despite claims of the near unanimous popularity of “universal” background checks, these proposals have not been nearly as popular as claimed when presented to voters. In 2016, Maine and Nevada both had “universal” background check initiatives on the ballot. In Maine the measure did not pass and in Nevada the measure passed by 1%. These numbers are much different that the 97% that the media likes to claim support this measure. Finally, the so-called “assault weapon” ban, will not stop criminals because, as the word suggests, they do not follow the law. A 2004 follow-up Department of Justice-funded study of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban determined that “the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.” Presented with the overwhelming evidence of the ban’s inefficacy, Congress did not renew it. Please, listen to me and all other law-abiding citizens and oppose these ineffective proposals. Do not punish those of us who adhere to the law for the actions of those who don’t.

I am writing you today to ask that you oppose these newly proposed gun control measures. In the wake of two mass attacks, a number of gun control proposals have been proposed in our nation’s capital. None of these proposals would have prevented either of the recent tragedies, but they all would restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Every perpetrator in these high-profile mass shootings would have passed a background check or acquired the firearm in a way that would be unaffected by the proposed “universal” background checks. The fact is that these so-called “universal” background checks do not stop criminals. Criminals, by definition, break the law. They obtain their firearms mostly through theft or straw purchases, in fact according to a Department of Justice study ”Less than one percent got firearms from dealers or non-dealers at gun shows.” Voters do not support these measures the way that the media leads everyone to believe. Last year the “universal” background check measures were placed on the ballot in Maine and in Nevada. After being outspent by millions of dollars on both ballot measures by Bloomberg-backed gun control groups, Mainers did not adopt the measure and Nevadans passed the measure by less than 1 percent. I am also hearing that another “assault weapon” ban is being circulated in the capital. This ban did not work in 1994, and in 2018 a RAND Corporation study found no conclusive evidence that such bans have an effect on mass shootings or violent crime. It did not work to stop violent crime then and it will not do anything but harm law-abiding gun owners now. Please oppose these newly proposed gun control measures and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens.

I am writing you asking that you oppose these new gun control proposals that have started circulating as a result of recent criminal attacks. I agree that these events were awful but none of these proposals would have stopped the acts of a madman, but they would harm law-abiding gun owners. It has been proven that these so-called “universal” background checks are not as popular as the mainstream media would like you to believe. In Maine last year the ballot measure for these so-called “enhanced” background checks was not adopted by voters. In Nevada the measure passed by less than 1 percent, much less than the 97% statistic that is being reported over and over again. Even if these proposals did have anywhere near the support that is reported, they will not work. Criminals obtain their firearms through straw purchases and theft, both already being illegal acts. The ATF has reported that “[t]he most frequent type of trafficking channel identified in ATF investigations is straw purchasing from federally licensed firearms dealers. Nearly 50 percent....” criminals by definition do not follow the law and they would not follow any new laws. Law-abiding gun owners would be the only ones affected by these new proposals. It also seems like there is always talk of a new “assault weapons” ban that is usually targeted at the AR-15. The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in the U.S. The immense popularity of the AR-15 has come about at a time when Americans cite self-defense as their primary reason for owning a firearm. The effectiveness of the commonly-owned semi-automatic rifle in defense of self and others was illustrated in 2017 during an attack on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Upon learning of the attack, resident Stephen Willeford retrieved his AR-15 rifle and shot and wounded the gunman. Since 2017, other Armed Citizens have used commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms to thwart an armed robbery in Texas, stop a trio of home invaders in Oklahoma, and halt a stabbing attack in Illinois. Please oppose these new gun control measures, they will not stop mass shootings, they will only harm law-abiding gun owners like myself.