My letter to all delegates

[J-Dog]

I've posted it in other threads, but I figured I'd share it out in the open in the hopes that it might help anyone trying to write their own letter.

Please feel free to use any of it in your emails or discussions with your reps.

I've sent a trimmed down version to the Capital and it's affiliates as well.

As a voting constituent of the state of MD, and a concerned citizen I'm very worried about the proposed legislation concerning public safety.

I am in support of stonger background checks, increased funding for school security, increased funding for mental health care, and stiffer penalties for cimes commited using a gun, however I am not in favor of magazine capacity limits or bans on firearms for law abiding citizens.

The current laws do not prevent criminals from posessing guns, or using them in crimes, and as was pointed out in today's press conference, police are encountering known felons with guns when raiding their houses. The proposed laws won't change this. They will only serve to limit and make it more and more difficult for a law abiding citizen to exercise their rights.

Per FBI the most recent statistics, the number of people killed with a rifle of any kind in MD in 2011, was 2. The number of murders commited with handgun, was 262. I don't see how banning the semi-auto rifle, which almost all rifles are, will have a noticable impact on murder rates.
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-20

Furthermore, Baltimore Police statistics show that in 2012, of the 217 homocides commited, 181 were with handguns, and only 2 were with rifles or shotguns combined. Of those 217 homocides, 79.1% were commited by people with known criminal records. 61.6% had a drug record, and 45.3% had been arrested for a previous gun violation.

Consider also, that 82.3% of the victims had a criminal record, with 68.4% of them having at least one drug arrest.
Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ma...aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

The high numbers for crime involving guns that you see in Maryland are not coming from law abiding citizens or first time offenders. They are coming from those who have no respect for the law. Those who repeatedly break the law, are fobiden from owning firearms, and do so anyway. This is the real problem. This is where the violence is coming from.

The laws proposed that limit magazine capacity, and ban law abiding citizens from buying rifles will do nothing to curb these numbers, as it is the repeat criminal offenders inflating the rates. it's the gangs, and drug dealers that are killing innocents and each other that are the problem, not the father who keeps a rifle locked in the closet for home secutrity, or the single mother works in a bad part of town, and applies for a concealed carry permit so that she has a better chance of going home safely to her children at night, nor the sportsman, who competes in shooting matches with a semi-auto rifle.

Please consider the effect that these laws will have on the good, law abiding people of Maryland, before you vote on the new gun control legislation. You're not taking guns out of the hands of criminals, or limiting the number of bullets in their magazines, you're limiting ours. The good. The trustworthy. Ensuring that if we ever have to defend ourselves, we will be at a disadvantage to those who ignore bans and limits.

I agree, that one life saved is worth fighting for. That's why I ask you to oppose the proposed bans and limits. Help us save our own lives.

Thank you.

 

[Just5Guy]

Used, thank you very much!

 

[r3t1awr3yd]

 

[Rickman]

Excellent.

 

[J-Dog]

You know... if someone were to stand up and read this in front of the delegates on whatever day they do that kind of thing, that might be something too.

I'm no good at speaking publicly though, I lock up. Maybe someone better at talking than I could use some of this?

 

[Onemeandog]

Very good letter, thank you.

 

[wjackcooper]

Please send your letter to the Balto. Sun and Washington Post: Cutting and pasting should work.

mary.corey@baltsun.com martin.baron@washpost.com


Regards
Jack

 

[J-Dog]

Please send your letter to the Balto. Sun and Washington Post: Cutting and pasting should work.

mary.corey@baltsun.com martin.baron@washpost.com


Regards
Jack

Done! Thanks!

 

[cjroman]

J-Dog,
That is a very concise and well put letter. Do you mind if I use it as a basis for writing my reps (again)?

 

[NHaze]

Nice letter! Spelling error in the second paragraph I think. Check "cimes". Good job though!

 

[BRONZ]

Thanks for the stats

 

[Shinny]

Very nice and of course, right on point.

 

[J-Dog]

J-Dog,
That is a very concise and well put letter. Do you mind if I use it as a basis for writing my reps (again)?

Be my guest. That's why I posted it.

 

[J-Dog]

Nice letter! Spelling error in the second paragraph I think. Check "cimes". Good job though!

Yeah, I ran it through the spell checker before I sent it.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Well done. Thanks for doing the research and making it easier for us to follow through!

 

[roady]

I also agree with everyone else that your letter is very well written.

 

[Robert]

If you simply copy and paste this, say in AGC E-mail system, and then make your changes, the URL links will fail. You need to follow the links and then copy the URL bar into the email, replacing the existing ones.

 

[methlab]

 

[J-Dog]

If you simply copy and paste this, say in AGC E-mail system, and then make your changes, the URL links will fail. You need to follow the links and then copy the URL bar into the email, replacing the existing ones.

Really? They worked for me. I hope they went through OK.

 

[jonnyl]

Nice work! Excellent points!