Originally Posted by
Dave_L
I received this one back yesterday.
"Regardless of whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, the gun safety debate is a tough issue.
As a 6th generation Coloradan with a family ranch in Southern Colorado, it should come as no surprise that hunting is a part of my family tradition and heritage. As long as I can remember, my family and I ate more elk, rabbit, fish and pheasants than we ever ate chicken or beef. We would make elk with everything – elk burgers, elk green chili, elk spaghetti sauce – and if you know how to cook it just right, it doesn't taste the least bit “gamey." The tradition of hunting is at the very core of my family, as my nephew recently completed his first hunter safety training at the age of ten. You can bet that if I ever have a son or daughter, I will be the first to sign them up for a hunter safety course so they can keep my family's tradition alive.
As a Coloradan and a State Representative sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, I could not support any reform that would ignore Colorado’s western heritage or unreasonably impair the 2nd Amendment rights of our citizens. But I also understand that the right to do so is not unlimited, especially in a time in which our society suffers from such a tragic gun violence epidemic.
This weekend, I researched our current regulations for hunters. In Colorado, hunters are only permitted to have three shells when they go pheasant hunting. This is so there is a "fair chase," an opportunity for pheasants to get away when they are being hunted while hunters reload their gun. Today, we have stronger regulations to protect pheasants than we do to protect human beings.
During the twelve-hour gun debate in the statehouse last Friday, I said, “This is about kids who have been shot, over and over and over again. I am tired of seeing kids die, year after year, after year, after year.”
Although I don't talk about it much, growing up in Colorado, I was not immune to the effects of gun violence.
My high school boyfriend's best friend was shot in Denver on 33rd and High Street after members of a gang drove up and shot him. Why? He was wearing a Denver Broncos' jacket that they wanted.
About eleven years ago a friend of mine was in the Columbine High School cafeteria when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed that awful massacre.
And in the latest shooting at the Century Movie Theatre in Aurora, my mother's cousin, his fiancé and baby were present when James Holmes open fired on the crowd. Although they successfully escaped with minor wounds, the shooting had a profound effect on their lives.
I cannot and will not wait for another friend or family member to become a victim of gun violence. The time is now to act.
Perhaps the debate at the Colorado Legislature over closing the background check loophole, additional investments in mental health, and common sense gun safety regulations are not the only answers to the gun violence that we face in this country, but it is a meaningful first step. To not take action and simply say the problem is too difficult, is not taking our oath of office seriously.
In order to form a more perfect Union, we must establish justice, promote the general welfare, safety and security of the public.
--
Crisanta Duran
State Representative for House District 5 "
I put the parts in bold that caught my ear.
She JUST started researching things this past weekend? Really?
More regulations for pheasants? Um, no. Murder is still illegal. Shooting even one round at a human is illegal. And what, by limiting magazines she's giving us a "fair chance" to scurry away while he reloads? If the pheasant could shoot a gun, I guarantee it'd be carrying a 30 round mag to fight back and defend itself if it knew what hunters were there to do.
Then she's blaming law abiding citizens for the actions of a gang member.
UGH!
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