Asking For Stricter Gun Laws

/ Sirius Bizinus

Author’s Note: It can be difficult to figure out how to ask for change from elected officials. For that reason, I’ve included a model draft letter below which asks for changes in gun laws. To use the letter, just copy and paste it and make changes to the fields indicated in brackets. You can search for your representative in Congress here, and you can find the senators for your state here. If there is movement on this issue, I intend to publish more draft letters as they are needed. Also, if you have any questions about the letter, I’ll be more than happy to answer them in the comments below.

Dear [title and name of politician here]:

I am writing to respectfully request you propose and support legislation which decreases the severity of gun violence in the United States. Specifically, I request that this legislation accomplish the following:

(1) Propose an amendment to the United States Constitution which repeals the Second Amendment.

(2) Restrict the sale, transport, and possession of any model of firearm which has been used in a mass shooting in the United States.

(3) Restrict the sale, transport, and possession of any firearm which can fire on a semi-automatic setting or design.

(4) Restrict the sale and possession of firearms to people under the age of 21.

(5) Provide a budget sufficient for Federal authorities to enforce legislation items 2-4.

(6) The restrictions in items 2-4 should not apply to anyone in law enforcement or an active member of the U.S. military.

Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.

Sincerely,

[Your name here]

Revision Notes: Updated item (2) for clarity.

31 thoughts on “Asking For Stricter Gun Laws”

  1. This would be like banning all cars for everyone, excepting our military and police…, Because thousands of people are killed every year in auto accidents. Amazing. Sorry to disagree and don’t care to argue about it. Just… Wow

    Like

    • KIA, Jesus Christ. Very poor analogy.
      We don’t let kids drive cars. We register them, have mandatory safety checks, make sure emissions are under control. . . come on.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Another thing. The TEENAGERS in your country are taking the lead on this. Doesn’t that give you pause for thought? They seem to have their wits about them, know what they are talking about, and are sick to death with fucking ‘thoughts and prayers’. Doing NOTHING ensures more deaths — what IS it about you Americans and your fucking love for firearms?? Jesus!

      Liked by 2 people

    • Your analogy is incorrect, as there’s no Constitutional amendment which grants people the right to own cars and prevents governments from regulating cars. The Second Amendment would have to get repealed in order to pass the other items in the letter, except perhaps the age restriction.

      Also, if you don’t want to hear views contrary to yours, don’t hit “send.”

      Liked by 1 person

    • Cars and trucks, even knives have an original, other useful purpose. Hauling goods and people. Military style war weapons have only one purpose. Killing people. Several (most) of these killings have one thing in common. AR15. Sorry to disagree, but those weapons have to go.

      Liked by 4 people

      • Even if you go down to the last usual argument, to protect us from an oppressing government, I got one thing to say. Try taking a couple of shots at a military convoy and see what happens. If you think you have a chance against drones, planes, and the armory that is going to be flying up your ass, your are flat crazy.

        Liked by 4 people

    • KIA if an effort is not made then it is only a matter of time before the next mass shooting.
      If you are not going to even try to justify your comment with a common sense answer then why bother writing in the first place?

      For someone who goes off at Branyan whenever he writes some arse-backwards comment on your blog, I’m sorry to say your drive-by analogy makes you come across as a Nob and your credibility is on the verge of being flushed down the toilet.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Sorry ark. I’m not willing to argue it out with you. If disagreeing with a post that you agree with is all it takes for me to be labeled a Nob and my comments, drive by or not, to be flushed down the toilet in your mind… I’m sorry. But I’m going to take the high road here and not respond in kind. Have a great day.

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      • That’s fine by me. Maybe if you took the time to discuss it rather than throw out an asinine comment and automatically presume an argument?
        However, on this topic, as you tend to display the same sort of dismissive attitude as you do with Branyan then I’m sorry, if all you are interested in are drive-by comments then don’t expect to be treated any differently than the way you treat him.

        Like

    • Actually, it is. If I recall correctly, your students are Canadian? If so, do they have any American friends they’d want to share this with? I’m okay if they share it without attribution, or to answer any questions they or their friends would have. I’m even okay with them telling people it’s their idea.

      Ideally, I’d love for this letter to get into the hands of victims’ groups.

      Liked by 1 person

      • You know something, Sirius? I have been so encouraged by those students who are now advocating change. If I was in the classroom every day (I’m not, I’m a substitute) I’d be encouraging my students to align with their American sisters and brothers. . . I feel that strongly about showing solidarity for those young people. I am just so impressed with them – they’re awesome speakers, they’ve got their facts straight, and they are determined. If I have a chance, I’ll be sure to direct any students to this website. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      • I’m impressed with the students as well. I wrote this in part because I want to make it easier for them to get what they want. That said, I also understand if there are any restrictions on what you can share because of your work. They don’t have to come to the site if they don’t feel comfortable doing so.

        Just whatever makes it easiest for them.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I don’t think we need to repeal the 2nd amendment. But we may need to get back to the original understanding of it, before the so-called “originalist” judges expanded it.

    Your (2) is ambiguous. Is it supposed to restrict individual weapons used in mass shootings; or is it supposed to restrict entire classes of weapons?

    I would be satisfied if we were to treat guns more like automobiles. That is, require a user permit (analogous to a drivers license) and require periodic gun safety exams (like drivers license exams).

    Liked by 2 people

    • Everything in the letter is as concise as I could get it to ensure meaningful action on this issue. I don’t suggest repealing an amendment lightly; its current use is a real barrier to gun reform. Furthermore, “[getting] back to the original understanding of it” would require waiting years for justices to get appointed who would reverse the jurisprudence that expanded the Second Amendment’s scope in the first place.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Personally, I would probably alter a couple of things in the letter, but I most definitely support the idea of contacting our reps in Congress. It’s simply imperative that they hear from the people they’re supposed to be representing on this issue. Thank you for helping to motivate us.

    As a sidenote — the avid gun enthusiasts are always going to raise objections and find ways to criticize any actions related to gun restrictions. But we simply CANNOT continue on the same path we’re on!

    Liked by 3 people

    • I really expect the repeal of the Second Amendment to get the most pushback, but I cannot stress enough that it is absolutely necessary to promote gun reform. Personally, I wish it wasn’t the case. But the alternative is to either wait while more people get shot, or to pass a law that would get challenged and struck down later on.

      Liked by 3 people

    • That is something that I considered, but I didn’t want to crowd the letter with too many issues. I realized I’d have to do a lot of defending for item (1), and asking for ATF, NHS, and CDC funding to track gun violence might confuse people.

      Ideally, in the future we’d empower those agencies again so that way we can make informed legislation moving forward.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. My representative is a piece of shit John Culberson who has Gerrymandered our district 7 here in Houston, a democratic district which voted for Hillary. He has had a stranglehold on us for nearly 20 years. Writing him a letter will do nothing. He not only supports the fewer gun regulations but also supports allowing mentally ill to purchase weapons, opposes violence against women act, supports everything Trump has done, and has basically sat on his behind for his entire time in congress and has done nothing but draw a check. Talk about welfare. He is the classic case of welfare when it comes to doing nothing and sucking money from the gov’t. So I am doing what I can by volunteering for James Cargas (who wants to stand up to the NRA) during the primaries, that are coming up in our district who has been running for a number of years. And I will support any democrat who wins the primaries. We are desperately trying to send Culberson home and flip congress. This district which has historically has had a poor voting turn out now has more democrats running than it has in the past 20 years. For the first time we have a real chance of replacing Culberson who has historically ignored his constituents, refused to meet with us and even had us locked out of town hall. Even when seats were freed up. You can read more about this on my old post…https://rudeattitude.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/dont-bother-wife-when-shes-chewing-out-culbersons-press-aid/ Sending letters to these GOP treasonous scum who are currently being bribed by the NRA will do nothing. They don’t care. You need to send them home and replace them.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for stopping by!

      Despite your representative’s distaste for action on this, I’d still send a letter. It’s not about getting action from one statement, but about joining the greater conversation. Also, if you do manage to unseat him, your letter will demonstrate it was his stance on gun enthusiasm that contributed to him losing.

      It also lets you tell people that you did something, but really it’s about helping out in any way possible. With your volunteering, you might do more good there. I really do hope you succeed!

      Liked by 1 person

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