Senator Lena Taylor sent me a newsletter email - here's the meat of it, for me:
Lena’s Continuing Gun Safety Efforts
Universal Background Checks
Lena proposed 2015 SB-776, which would finally close the
private seller loophole and require background checks for all
types of gun purchases. We need to make sure that proper
checks are being done on anyone who wants to buy a firearm.
Increased Training Requirements for Concealed Carry
Current law doesn’t specify important details such as class size
or duration when it comes to the training required for a
concealed carry permit. Lena proposed legislation to codify
these details and creates guidelines about gun handling and
safe storage. (2015 SB-777)
Proof of Insurance for Concealed Carry
The mental and physical damage that can be caused by gun
violence is very real, and very costly. Lena’s proposal would
require anyone applying for a concealed carry permit to have
proof of insurance to cover damage that may arise from
negligent use. (2015 SB-778)
No-Fly, No Buy
Suspected terrorists should not be allowed to buy firearms.
Lena’s bill would prevent anyone on the FBI No-Fly list from
purchasing a gun. (2015 SB-775)
Microstamping
Lena authored 2015 SB-729, which would require all new
handguns to have microstamping technology, creating a small
“fingerprint” on each bullet fired. This technology would help
law enforcement determine the exact gun a bullet was fired
from in criminal cases.
Opposed the Repeal of the 48-Hour Waiting Period
Last April, Republican legislators introduced
Senate Bill 35 to repeal the 48 hour waiting
period for handgun purchases. This waiting
period was designed to serve as a “cooling off”
period in order to reduce the occurrence of
impulsive gun violence and suicides. Lena
fought to stop this harmful legislation.
My reply:
Dear Senator Taylor,
I
was at the hearing (Constitutional Carry) a couple weeks ago. I understand your concerns with
uneducated or irresponsible persons having access to firearms and other
dangerous items.
First
we must keep in mind that the Second Amendment does no confer any
rights on American citizens, any more than the rest of the bill of
rights does. It simply prevents the government from interfering with the
God-given, inalienable right to self-defense and defense of one's
community, state, and country.
Second,
there is no limitation possible under the Constitution, regardless of
the opinions of any judge, Supreme Court or lower. There have been
numerous judicial decisions made that are clearly un-Constitutional, and
only await a non-activist majority to be overturned. One of these is
the National Firearms Act of 1934, and everything dependent on it. This
act un-Constitutionally required Americans to submit a $200 tax to the
federal government for every sale or transfer of ownership of certain
military (militia) weapons such as machine guns, short barreled rifles
and shotguns, and noise suppressors for guns.
There
can be no requirement for an American citizen to obtain training in
order to exercise any inalienable right. This means that there will be
those who will own a gun and not know how to use it correctly, but the
burden remains on them, as in any other aspect of life in society, to
not cause harm or damage through their actions. There are ample existing
laws to cover one who harms another through misuse or purposeful
criminal use of any item. Requiring a gun owner to obtain liability
insurance before carrying is akin to requiring poll taxes - only the
poor will suffer.
I
know, auto owners are required to have insurance - but nowhere in the
Constitution is there a mention of driving a motor vehicle. The Second
Amendment is quite clear, as are the writings of the time when it was
written - "arms" are what the militia member needs to have in order to
fulfill his or her duty.
You
were not present in the late afternoon when I finally got to speak, but
I did mention the fact that the American Revolution was armed by
private parties, including the period equivalent of weapons of mass
destruction - warships and artillery. All were provided by patriots or
liberated from the British. Our first naval ships were privateers.
The
bottom line is - are we going to honor our Constitution, as all
Senators and other representatives are sworn to do, or are we going to
continue to infringe on the American peoples' inalienable right?
Remember - the bad guys will always ignore any laws enacted, by definition.
By
the way - please do not be swayed by all the Michael Bloomberg and
George Soros funded "Moms Demand Action / Everytown for Gun Control"
shirts and lobbyists. No one asked my nor any of my neighbors for our
opinion when they put together that "91% of Wisconsinites want gun
control" poll.
Regards,
Chuck Kuecker, BSEE, gunsmith and FFL holder
