The following is a letter that I received from Sen. Grassley about gun regulations. I find it mind-numbingly bad. Sad, sad, sad. I'm going to write him back and tell him so. Below his letter is my response to it.
Dear Senator Grassley:
I received your email letter to me about recent gun regulation votes. I found it profoundly disappointing and terribly flawed in its reasoning. You really should investigate this issue rather than simply following the party line. In addition, I want to mention how the U.S. Senate has deteriorated as an institution, especially in regard to the use of the filibuster as an anti-democratic practice that has no support in the Constitution or law. You should move to abolish it immediately.
Thank your for your attention to this,
Steve Greenleaf
Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your
support for stricter gun regulation. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to
hear from concerned Iowans.
Recently, the Senate has debated and voted on proposed
gun control legislation in response to the tragic events in Newtown. On April
9th, the Senate voted to proceed to consider gun control legislation. There were
several amendments proposed from Senators that included stricter gun control
legislation.
One amendment that was proposed was a large magazine
ban. Limiting magazine capacity does nothing to stop violent crimes. Criminals
can simply carry multiple magazines. This restriction would only further
restrict law abiding citizens. With a recorded vote of 46-54 the amendment was
not agreed to. Senator Feinstein also proposed an amendment that would have
included her ban on certain semi-automatic weapons. I have concerns with Senator
Feinstein’s ban. The goal of such a ban is to prevent shootings similar to
the tragic shooting in Newtown. While I do not doubt her sincerity, I do doubt
the effectiveness of such bans. Her amendment also failed by a vote of
40-60.
Congress needs to examine the current laws and
background checks to make sure they are properly preventing prohibited persons
from obtaining firearms. I have supported legislative efforts to improve and
enforce reporting of crimes and mental deficiencies that would improve the
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Additionally, I have
repeatedly voted for legislation that would strengthen the prevention of illegal
gun trafficking.
Another amendment offered by Senators Manchin and
Toomey proposed expanded background checks. I have concerns with the
amendment’s effect on private sales. Movement of firearms from one
law-abiding citizen to another would be legal or illegal based on arbitrary
distinctions that citizens could not be expected to know. For example, something
as innocent as posting an advertisement for a hunting shotgun in a church
bulletin that results in a private sale between members without a background
check could result in federal penalties. This amendment also failed to reach the
60 vote threshold for an amendment to be accepted with a vote of 54-46.
While I did not vote to support the Manchin/Toomey
amendment, I did author a comprehensive amendment that would target the causes
of gun crime, address mental health records, and strengthen school security.
The Grassley amendment would have inserted the text of
the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2013 in
its place. This legislation, sponsored by 25 senators, would reauthorize and
improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), increase
resources for prosecutions of gun crime, address mental illness in the criminal
justice system, and strengthen criminal law by including straw purchasing and
illegal firearm trafficking statutes.
Specifically, the Protecting Communities and Preserving
the Second Amendment Act addresses violent crime committed with firearms in a
number of ways. First, it fixes problems with the National Instant Background
Check System (NICS), with a focus on improving the availability of records to
the NICS database, including mental health records from federal and state courts
that are currently not reported to the NICS system. These records include those
of individuals found to not have the mental capacity to stand trial, or who were
found not guilty by reason of mental defect. Further, they would ensure that
states provide records to the NICS system by penalizing those who fail to
provide records. The non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO)
recognizes that this failure is a problem with the current NICS system.
Additionally, my amendment would also codify the executive order issued by
President Obama requiring federal agencies to submit relevant federal records to
the database and report to Congress whether they are complying with the law.
Together, these changes would strengthen the existing background check system
instead of following the Manchin/Toomey model of simply expanding a broken
system to cover more transactions without fixing it.
Second, the Act combats gun related violent crime by
increasing federal prosecution of violent offenders who commit gun crimes, and
by cracking down on straw purchasers and firearms traffickers with new
prosecution tools and increased penalties for gun crimes committed by prohibited
persons. These provisions provide new criminal laws to federal law enforcement
to combat the illegal straw purchasers that buy guns for criminals. It also
creates a task force to strengthen Department of Justice efforts to investigate
and prosecute cases involving convicted felons and fugitives who illegally
attempt to purchase a firearm. The Act would also provide increased federal
resources to hire prosecutors and agents to combat gun crimes and those who
supply criminals and felons with firearms. Additionally, it would increase
criminal penalties for gun crimes, including cases where criminals lie on
background check forms in order to obtain firearms illegally. Finally, it
directs the National Academy of Sciences and National Institutes of Justice to
conduct a study examining the causes of mass shootings and reviewing causes of
these violent acts.
Third, the Act seeks to reduce crimes committed by
mentally ill offenders by: providing resources to state and local law
enforcement to help interact with mentally ill offenders and reduce criminal
recidivism by those with mental illness; clarifying to the Veterans
Administration’s procedures regarding adjudication process for determining
when a veteran is mentally defective for firearms possession; and by adding new
purposes to existing federal grants to provide necessary training and support
for state and local law enforcement agencies dealing with individuals with
mental illness.
Finally, the Act expands the use of grant funds for
school safety, including surveillance equipment, and the establishment of
hotlines or tip lines for the reporting of potentially dangerous students and
situations. The Act also establishes an interagency task force to develop and
promulgate a set of advisory school safety guidelines.
My amendment was joined by over 25 cosponsors and
gained larger bipartisan support than the Manchin/Toomey amendment. Despite this
it failed to achieve the 60 votes necessary for passage under the consent
agreement with a vote of 52-48. This common sense alternative legislation is a
step forward and a way to ensure that criminals are prosecuted, gun crime is
reduced, background checks are strengthened, mental health is addressed, and
schools are secured; all while ensuring that law abiding citizens’ Second
Amendment rights are not infringed. I am disappointed it failed to pass, but
believe it offers a sensible way to address these difficult issues
responsibly.
Since the tragic events that took place in Newtown
there has been an emotionally charged debate over gun control legislation from
both sides of the issue. I have met with families from Newtown to discuss the
legislation that has been debated. It has been emotional and difficult for all
of us. It is important however, that we do not rush to pass legislation that
does not address, and would not have prevented recent shooting tragedies by
infringing on the rights of law abiding citizens. I look forward to continuing
the debate on how to keep criminals from obtaining firearms while insuring the
safety of innocent Americans.
Again, I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts on
this debate. Hearing from concerned Iowans gives me an opportunity to serve
Iowans better.
Sincerely,
Chuck
Dear Senator Grassley:
I received your email letter to me about recent gun regulation votes. I found it profoundly disappointing and terribly flawed in its reasoning. You really should investigate this issue rather than simply following the party line. In addition, I want to mention how the U.S. Senate has deteriorated as an institution, especially in regard to the use of the filibuster as an anti-democratic practice that has no support in the Constitution or law. You should move to abolish it immediately.
Thank your for your attention to this,
Steve Greenleaf
