Dear Steve:
Thank you for contacting me about gun
violence prevention. I appreciate hearing
from you.
In light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut and six more mass killings
across the country last year, it is
imperative that Congress act to pass
strong gun safety laws that keep these
weapons out of the hands of criminals,
children, and mentally disturbed
individuals without restricting the rights
of lawful gun owners.
Sadly over the past several years, far too
many innocent American children, women
and men have been the victims of gun
violence. The sobering statistics about
gun violence speak volumes. According to
the U.S. Census, of the 129,741 murders
that were reported between 2000 and
2008, nearly two-thirds of the victims
were killed by a firearm. Every year
nearly 100,000 people in America are
shot or killed with a gun according to the
Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence.
Every day, 270 people in America - 47 of
them children and teens - are injured or
slain due to gun violence.
We must take immediate action to
prevent this type of violence from taking
place, including requiring tougher
background checks, ensuring safety
devices to prevent guns from being used
by someone other than the owner,
limiting the availability large capacity
ammunition magazines, closing the gun
show loophole, and reinstating the ban on
assault weapons. Effective regulation of
firearms is no longer an issue this country
can choose to ignore. Of the 11 deadliest
shootings in our nation's history, five
have occurred since 2007. The time has
come to end the gun violence epidemic.
Nonetheless voices like the NRA will do
everything to protect guns rather than
the lives of our children and law
enforcement officers. I have consistently
opposed the NRA and their extremist
agenda and will continue to do so. As a
result of this work I have received an 'F'
rating from the NRA.
As we begin the 113 th Congress, I have
already cosponsored several bills to
address the problem of gun violence,
including the Fix Gun Checks Act of
2013 (H.R. 21), The Firearm Safety and
Public Health Research Act of 2013 (H.R.
321), the Stop Online Ammunition
Sales Act of 2013 (H.R. 142), and the
Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding
Device Act (H.R.138). These pieces of
legislation should be passed and signed
into law by President Obama. Now is the
time to take serious steps to keep our
nation, schools, and neighborhoods safer
by helping protect against the kind of
atrocities that occurred at Sandy Hook
Elementary School.
Thank you again for taking the time to
share your concerns with me.
Sincerely,
Betty McCollum
Member of Congress

Quoted:
Bird brained bitch