Sunday, February 17, 2013

A Note from Babs



Dear Mr. Thunderbolt:
 
Thank you for contacting me to express your views on gun control. I appreciate you taking the time to write. 
 
I am horrified by gun violence in our country.  The shooting that occurred on December 14th in Newtown, Connecticut - the murder of 20 sweet, innocent children and the six adults who died protecting them - is an unthinkable, terrible tragedy.  I join with all Americans during this tragic time in extending my deepest condolences to these victims' families, who are facing an incredible amount of grief and heartache. 
 
Now more than ever, we need to work together to make sure another tragedy like this never happens again.  I support the Second Amendment rights of gun owners.  I also believe that we can take steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those with mental illnesses without infringing on the right of law-abiding citizens to buy firearms. 
 
That is why I believe that we must take a substantive look at various proposals to strengthen background checks and get assault weapons off our streets.  This includes reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban and limiting the use of high capacity ammunition.  I have also continually supported extending required background checks at gun shows to help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.  Your views will be helpful to me as we further consider this issue. 
 
While we need to look at gun control, I believe we must also look at the mental health issues that plague our nation.  We need to make sure that people have access to the services they need.  As a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I fought for over ten years to get mental health parity passed so that all Americans suffering from mental illness could have access to the treatments they need.  We also need to find better ways to treat, or even cure, mental illnesses.  That's why I am such a strong supporter of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).  I will continue to fight to improve and expand mental health services.
 
Again, thanks for getting in touch with me about this issue.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything I can assist you with in the future. 

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator 




6 comments:

Old NFO said...

Mealymouthed, to say the least...

Crotalus said...

"I support the 2A, but..."

They always seem to forget that whole "shall not be infringed" part.

wandering neurons said...

Boy, she's not just sitting on both sides of the fence, but on the fence, the entire farm surrounding the fence, and got the fence posts up her bum!

SouthernKahrCarrier said...

"Limiting the use of high capacity ammunition"? What in the world is high capacity ammunition? Would I put high capacity ammunition in my high capacity assault clip? These anti-gun folks just add "high capacity assault" to a noun and think they sound informed.

SiGraybeard said...

If you think it's worthwhile, you can send her to an interview with James Alan Fox, who studies mass shootings for a living and concludes they aren't increasing.

There is literally nothing to see here. No new problem. No unique problem. Sometimes the best and most courageous thing to do is nothing.

Windy Wilson said...

SouthernKahrCarrier, yepp, they add those words like marketing adds "tactical" or "quantum" or "Nano".