Outdoorsman
Regular Member
March 29, 2013
Dear Mr. XXXXXXXX:
Thank you for contacting me regarding gun violence. I appreciate your views on this very important issue and I value your opinion.
As a Member of Congress, I have a solemn duty to uphold the Constitution and I will always be a defender of the Constitution, including the Second Amendment. Hunting and shooting sports are an important part of Michigan's culture and tradition, and I strongly support the rights of our citizens to own firearms for these purposes. I also fully support the right of law-abiding citizens to own guns to protect their families and homes from danger.
We can all agree that gun violence remains a substantial problem in our communities. Last year alone, 66 people were murdered in the city of Flint and 33 people were killed in the city of Saginaw. The horrific mass shootings of Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and many other places around our country happen all too often, and we must do everything in our power to stop these senseless tragedies from occurring in the future.
First and foremost, I believe we must strictly enforce federal gun laws that are already in place. In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act became law and required any person purchasing a firearm from a Federal Firearm Licensed (FFL) dealer to submit to a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This was established to prevent felons, the severely mentally ill, those with prior domestic abuse convictions and other dangerous people from purchasing firearms.
However, a loophole in the Brady Act allows for non-licensed sellers to conduct private sales – including over the Internet – to a buyer without them having to be subject to a background check. The original intent of the private seller loophole was for persons who are not FFL's to occasionally make sales to individuals within their state. Unfortunately, this loophole in the Brady Act has undermined the effectiveness of NICS. It is estimated that 40 percent of all gun sales (6.6 million in 2012) are conducted by such private sales. That is why I support eliminating this loophole to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the most violent among us.
Finally, I support legislation that would prevent the manufacturing of high capacity magazines. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, high capacity magazines have been used in nearly a quarter of all gun crimes and in over 30 percent of all fatal police shootings. I do not believe this kind of legislation would impact the ability of hunters in Michigan to enjoy shooting sports and the outdoors. Rather, it will save lives.
You can be assured that I will continue to closely monitor this issue and work with my colleagues to try to find sensible and workable solutions to reduce gun violence in America.
In the future, please do not hesitate to contact me about any topic. It is important for me to hear your views so that I can best represent you and the Fifth Congressional District.
I hope you stay in contact with me by visiting my congressional website at www.dankildee.house.gov and signing up for my email newsletter. You can also connect with me on Facebook (Congressman Dan Kildee) or follow me on Twitter (@RepDanKildee).
Sincerely,
Daniel T. Kildee
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
Dear Mr. XXXXXXXX:
Thank you for contacting me regarding gun violence. I appreciate your views on this very important issue and I value your opinion.
As a Member of Congress, I have a solemn duty to uphold the Constitution and I will always be a defender of the Constitution, including the Second Amendment. Hunting and shooting sports are an important part of Michigan's culture and tradition, and I strongly support the rights of our citizens to own firearms for these purposes. I also fully support the right of law-abiding citizens to own guns to protect their families and homes from danger.
We can all agree that gun violence remains a substantial problem in our communities. Last year alone, 66 people were murdered in the city of Flint and 33 people were killed in the city of Saginaw. The horrific mass shootings of Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and many other places around our country happen all too often, and we must do everything in our power to stop these senseless tragedies from occurring in the future.
First and foremost, I believe we must strictly enforce federal gun laws that are already in place. In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act became law and required any person purchasing a firearm from a Federal Firearm Licensed (FFL) dealer to submit to a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This was established to prevent felons, the severely mentally ill, those with prior domestic abuse convictions and other dangerous people from purchasing firearms.
However, a loophole in the Brady Act allows for non-licensed sellers to conduct private sales – including over the Internet – to a buyer without them having to be subject to a background check. The original intent of the private seller loophole was for persons who are not FFL's to occasionally make sales to individuals within their state. Unfortunately, this loophole in the Brady Act has undermined the effectiveness of NICS. It is estimated that 40 percent of all gun sales (6.6 million in 2012) are conducted by such private sales. That is why I support eliminating this loophole to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the most violent among us.
Finally, I support legislation that would prevent the manufacturing of high capacity magazines. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, high capacity magazines have been used in nearly a quarter of all gun crimes and in over 30 percent of all fatal police shootings. I do not believe this kind of legislation would impact the ability of hunters in Michigan to enjoy shooting sports and the outdoors. Rather, it will save lives.
You can be assured that I will continue to closely monitor this issue and work with my colleagues to try to find sensible and workable solutions to reduce gun violence in America.
In the future, please do not hesitate to contact me about any topic. It is important for me to hear your views so that I can best represent you and the Fifth Congressional District.
I hope you stay in contact with me by visiting my congressional website at www.dankildee.house.gov and signing up for my email newsletter. You can also connect with me on Facebook (Congressman Dan Kildee) or follow me on Twitter (@RepDanKildee).
Sincerely,
Daniel T. Kildee
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
