Letter from Jared Polis..
I know everyone hear likes to hate him but he has continually shown to support gun ownership and gun rights..
Here is his latest update on the issue:
Dear Friend:
On the floor of the House of Representatives last month, I had the opportunity to vote for an amendment by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to prevent Washington, D.C. from enacting a mandatory gun registry. As one of only 20 Democrats to support the amendment, I expected to take some heat. While I heard from some critics who were outraged over my opposition to gun registries, most constituents understood my vote to be consistent with my strongly held beliefs regarding privacy and government intrusion.
As you know, I have been and continue to be a strong privacy advocate. Your private information, phone calls, comings and goings, and gun ownership are none of the government's business. Our freedom requires constant vigilance, and there are many policy areas that this impacts. That's why I'm a leading sponsor of the Email Privacy Act, which would require the government to obtain a warrant before searching through your old emails, why I'm pushing for reforms to the National Security Agency to prevent government data collection on Americans' telephone calls, and why I'm advocating for measures to protect students' private information over the internet.
Likewise, it is none of the government's business if you choose to own a gun, or guns. Background checks can be (and are) done without any registration, and we should always be wary of the government using secret mechanisms to stockpile even more information about us.
For this Second Amendment update, I interviewed David Kopel. Mr. Kopel is Research Director at the Independence Institute and Adjunct Professor of Advanced Constitutional Law at Sturm College of Law at Denver University. He is a renowned expert on firearms policy and the Second Amendment and has authored several books on the subject. I had the opportunity to ask him several questions, and I hope you enjoy reading his answers.
Jared Polis: Recently the file to "print" a "Liberator" gun has been made freely available on the internet. While it's important to remind people that these home-printed guns are very dangerous to use right now and often explode on firing, within a few years firearms will probably be more feasible to create in your own home. Needless to say, there are already bills in Congress to ban them. How do you feel the ability to "print" a gun in one's home will impact our Second Amendment rights, and do you have any worries as a law enforcement expert about the new technology?
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David Kopel: It has always been lawful to make a firearm at home for one's personal use. Ever since the Undetectable Firearms Act was passed in 1988, the manufacture of a firearm must include a certain amount of metal in a particular shape, so that the firearm is visible to metal detectors. 18 U.S. Code 922(p).
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JP: Should the federal government have a role in ensuring that a concealed weapon permit granted in one state is also good in other states? Or should this just be left to state-to-state reciprocal agreements, as it is now (resulting in a Colorado concealed weapon permit, for example, being good in Nebraska but worthless in California)?
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DK: Congressional action is most appropriate when state or local governments act in a particularly abusive manner. For example, Shaneen Allen, a young single mother from Pennsylvania who had a state-issued carry permit, is now facing a three-year mandatory minimum in New Jersey because during a traffic stop she voluntary informed a police officer that she had a gun in her car. The 14th Amendment was enacted in part to give Congress the power to protect the self-defense rights of interstate travelers.
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JP: An amendment recently came before Congress to prevent Washington D.C. from implementing a gun registry. While it's easy to oppose formally creating a gun registry, especially in the wake of the NSA domestic espionage revelations what steps should we take to ensure that no federal agencies are secretly creating a gun registry?
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DK: The recent domestic spying revelations -- as well as revelations from administrations of both parties all the way back to the 1940s -- reveal a troubling pattern of the executive branch flagrantly violating congressional statutes to protect citizens' privacy. One deterrent might be allowing civil lawsuits against persons who create illegal registries (or other violations of privacy laws).
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JP: I often hear from residents of Left Hand Canyon and Magnolia Road that gun owners shooting on federal land nearby keep them awake, and some residents have shown me bullet damage to their property (also a potential safety risk if they are outside at the wrong time). What can we do to encourage hobbyists to better respect people who live in our communities near where they shoot, and what do you think of proposals to build out convenient safe recreational shooting sites on federal land with parking as an alternative?
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DK: If there's bullet damage to a home, then the shooter was almost certainly criminally reckless. Especially considering how many people own guns, it's important that there be readily available safe areas for practice. Senator [Mark] Udall has been a leader in urging that more of the federal excise tax on gun and ammunition be available for the construction of safely designed target ranges open to the public. In Northern Colorado, there is a serious shortage of public ranges.
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JP: Are there any other ideas you would like to share on how the government can better protect the rights of gun owners?
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DK: For gun crime, as with any other problem, it's important to focus on realistic and effective measures -- and not just to pass any bill to "do something." Sensible gun laws are based on two principles: guns in the wrong hands endanger public safety; guns in the right hands enhance public safety. The best laws are those that address the former, while being careful not to harm the latter. |
As always, I'm eager for your input on steps Congress can take to safeguard Americans' civil liberties, including our right to bear arms. I hope you’ll take a moment to fill out my 2014 issues survey to let me know what issues are most important to you and your family, and your thoughts on how Congress should address them. You can also email me anytime, or stay in touch throughFacebook and Twitter. I’d love to hear from you.
Yours Truly,
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Jared Polis
Representative
