john_galt
Regular Member
imported post
There's a lot of shady stuff happening, apart from the upcoming legislation to criminalize open carry that will directly affect all gun owners.
Please take a few minutes to call, email, or write your representatives to voice your concern.
I hate to flog the dead horse by making a new post or look like an NRA parrot, but if you just read this and do not attempt to send or call anything, you are inadvertently working to end your rights, by being silent and enjoying the very rights that are in jeopardy.
Please get the word out and make yourself heard; legislature fears nothing so much as a motivated and organized voting bloc!
I've enclosed what I sent in hopes to spur some action from those who might otherwise just move on to the next thread, along with links where you can find the contact information for your representatives.
****
Get your contact information from:
http://www.votesmart.org
and
More specific details on legislative efforts:
http://www.nraila.org/
*****
Subject: Current or upcoming Connecticut legislation regarding firearms
I am writing to express my deep concern over several pieces of proposed Connecticut legislation, which may directly or indirectly affect my ability to exercise constitutionally protected rights to lawfully keep and bear arms in the state of Connecticut. Much of this proposed or on-going legislation is aimed at procuring a quick-fix to complex problems, and may only infringe upon lawful citizens and their ability to purchase or utilize firearms for sporting or leisure activities in Connecticut; this legislation will not be a salve to the woes of Connecticut society, whether it be ending in granting land to a developer with pecuniary motives in closing a popular shooting range, or by imposing an over-burgeoning cost to firearms and ammunition, or adding costly and simple to defeat 'security measures' to firearms.
As the son of a long time hunter and sportsmen, I feel obligated to continue speaking out against the ever encroaching position of the state on a much loved past-time and right.
First, the initiative to allow the Department of Public Safety to shut down a shooting range due to arbitrary regulation that is inherently impossible for a standard shooting range to 'pass' (such as noise ratings at the perimeter of a club). I must also question how some prospective land developers are licking their lips at the idea of large swaths of land suddenly opening up; in this case, the on-going issues at the Blue Trails range in Wallingford. Closing public ranges robs many people of a place to safely exercise their protected rights and enjoy a great past-time.
Second, the proposal to require micro-stamping of handgun components that purport to uniquely identify handguns, and link spent ammunition with a particular handgun. Again, this simply costs more money, and would not be an effective measure in preventing handgun violence. While laudable in the interest of safety, treating the people's right to keep and bear arms as a means to furnish the state's coffers by making those protected rights prohibitively expensive to exercise, is hardly what the framers of the Bill of Rights could have had in mind.
Regarding House Bill 6371 and Senate Bill 837: severely increasing the cost of permits, licenses, and firearms/ammunition only hurts the people who lawfully apply for these permits and items (handgun permits, hunting, fishing) in the first place, who like all others in this country are suffering the current economic conditions.
Third and very distressing, is Senate Bill 839, the proposal to remove the autonomy of the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners and place it under the control of the Department of Public Safety. I'd like to allude to the separation of powers of the government for support here; placing the sole discretion of acceptance and rejection of an appeal within the one body that rejected it in the first place is laughable at best, and an insult to all people who have had their rights abused or trampled by the whim of local law enforcement (such as the wrongful snatching of the right to carry a firearm in the case of Mr. James Goldberg).
This whole package of legislation is a direct assault on the lawful citizens of Connecticut, both on their wallets and in spirit and respect of the law. There are many of areas of my life for government to tax that are not protected and guaranteed by the United States Constitution; what is next, an excise on the amount of free speech I may produce in a given day? I urge you to reconsider and oppose these far-reaching knee-jerk measures; there are far more pressing matters in which I would hope my tax dollars might be effectively used locally.
Additionally, I would like to see support locally in spirit for H.R. 197 currently in Congress, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009. Criminals will not respect state boundaries when it comes to carrying weapons, and disarming responsible law abiding citizens while moving among states on leisure or business leaves them wide open to being helpless victims of violent crimes and evil intent. The ability to move across state lines with legal firearms should not be restricted only to current and retired law enforcement, but granted to every citizen. While this may not fall directly on state legislature, it would go a long way simply by having Connecticut recognize the permits of other lawful citizens who may be visiting Connecticut, and their right to protect themselves (while I am a strong supporter of our police force, they cannot be everywhere, nor can they provide safe escorts for all individuals going about their daily lives, and criminals do not make appointments with victims).
Respectfully
There's a lot of shady stuff happening, apart from the upcoming legislation to criminalize open carry that will directly affect all gun owners.
Please take a few minutes to call, email, or write your representatives to voice your concern.
I hate to flog the dead horse by making a new post or look like an NRA parrot, but if you just read this and do not attempt to send or call anything, you are inadvertently working to end your rights, by being silent and enjoying the very rights that are in jeopardy.
Please get the word out and make yourself heard; legislature fears nothing so much as a motivated and organized voting bloc!
I've enclosed what I sent in hopes to spur some action from those who might otherwise just move on to the next thread, along with links where you can find the contact information for your representatives.
****
Get your contact information from:
http://www.votesmart.org
and
More specific details on legislative efforts:
http://www.nraila.org/
*****
Subject: Current or upcoming Connecticut legislation regarding firearms
I am writing to express my deep concern over several pieces of proposed Connecticut legislation, which may directly or indirectly affect my ability to exercise constitutionally protected rights to lawfully keep and bear arms in the state of Connecticut. Much of this proposed or on-going legislation is aimed at procuring a quick-fix to complex problems, and may only infringe upon lawful citizens and their ability to purchase or utilize firearms for sporting or leisure activities in Connecticut; this legislation will not be a salve to the woes of Connecticut society, whether it be ending in granting land to a developer with pecuniary motives in closing a popular shooting range, or by imposing an over-burgeoning cost to firearms and ammunition, or adding costly and simple to defeat 'security measures' to firearms.
As the son of a long time hunter and sportsmen, I feel obligated to continue speaking out against the ever encroaching position of the state on a much loved past-time and right.
First, the initiative to allow the Department of Public Safety to shut down a shooting range due to arbitrary regulation that is inherently impossible for a standard shooting range to 'pass' (such as noise ratings at the perimeter of a club). I must also question how some prospective land developers are licking their lips at the idea of large swaths of land suddenly opening up; in this case, the on-going issues at the Blue Trails range in Wallingford. Closing public ranges robs many people of a place to safely exercise their protected rights and enjoy a great past-time.
Second, the proposal to require micro-stamping of handgun components that purport to uniquely identify handguns, and link spent ammunition with a particular handgun. Again, this simply costs more money, and would not be an effective measure in preventing handgun violence. While laudable in the interest of safety, treating the people's right to keep and bear arms as a means to furnish the state's coffers by making those protected rights prohibitively expensive to exercise, is hardly what the framers of the Bill of Rights could have had in mind.
Regarding House Bill 6371 and Senate Bill 837: severely increasing the cost of permits, licenses, and firearms/ammunition only hurts the people who lawfully apply for these permits and items (handgun permits, hunting, fishing) in the first place, who like all others in this country are suffering the current economic conditions.
Third and very distressing, is Senate Bill 839, the proposal to remove the autonomy of the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners and place it under the control of the Department of Public Safety. I'd like to allude to the separation of powers of the government for support here; placing the sole discretion of acceptance and rejection of an appeal within the one body that rejected it in the first place is laughable at best, and an insult to all people who have had their rights abused or trampled by the whim of local law enforcement (such as the wrongful snatching of the right to carry a firearm in the case of Mr. James Goldberg).
This whole package of legislation is a direct assault on the lawful citizens of Connecticut, both on their wallets and in spirit and respect of the law. There are many of areas of my life for government to tax that are not protected and guaranteed by the United States Constitution; what is next, an excise on the amount of free speech I may produce in a given day? I urge you to reconsider and oppose these far-reaching knee-jerk measures; there are far more pressing matters in which I would hope my tax dollars might be effectively used locally.
Additionally, I would like to see support locally in spirit for H.R. 197 currently in Congress, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009. Criminals will not respect state boundaries when it comes to carrying weapons, and disarming responsible law abiding citizens while moving among states on leisure or business leaves them wide open to being helpless victims of violent crimes and evil intent. The ability to move across state lines with legal firearms should not be restricted only to current and retired law enforcement, but granted to every citizen. While this may not fall directly on state legislature, it would go a long way simply by having Connecticut recognize the permits of other lawful citizens who may be visiting Connecticut, and their right to protect themselves (while I am a strong supporter of our police force, they cannot be everywhere, nor can they provide safe escorts for all individuals going about their daily lives, and criminals do not make appointments with victims).
Respectfully
