Originally Posted by
wreave
Here's the letter I just wrote to Hick:
Governor Hickenlooper,
Thank you.
Originally, this message was intended to be a persuasive explanation of why HB13-1224 and its related gun control laws are bad ideas. However, it has become clear that your mind, and those of your compatriots, have already been made up. So instead of trying to convince you not to sign a bad law, I write to express my appreciation.
You see, when you were elected, you had my full support. Both during the campaign season, and subsequently, I have not just defended you, but promoted you to my conservative friends and family. “He’s a Democrat,” they said. “But look at his record - his business record - his political record,” I replied. “Hickenlooper is a smart businessman who will make good decisions for Colorado. If he had an R next to his name, you’d love him. But just because he has a D doesn’t mean he’s not the right guy.”
I even defended you to a state senator last summer, when I cornered him over the civil union debacle. I thought the Republican handling of that law last year was a travesty, and I told him so. I told him I thought you were the right guy to lead Colorado. “Send me fifty Hickenloopers,” I told him, “and put one in every state. Better yet, send a hundred Hickenloopers to the US Senate, and we’ll get good lawmaking that will help this country.”
As it turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
By now, you have heard all the reasons why these proposals are bad. Should I rehash that the 1994 AWB had no impact on crime? Need I ask you how a pistol grip or adjustable stock affect the lethality of a firearm? Should I note that both the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings took place under magazine capacity limiting legislation? Would you care for me to mention that for the entire history of the USA, civilians have had the same firearms at home as the military took to war? Would you recognize that while magazine capacity, firearm, caliber, and many other gun-related distinctions separate the different mass shootings we’ve suffered over the years, the common thread running through all but one is that they occurred in “gun-free zones”? Does it matter to you that the proposed magazine capacity legislation is so poorly written that it actually bans the most common sporting shotguns in America? Dare I question the fallacy of limiting magazine capacity so that a brave soul should stand close enough to a shooter to tackle him during a reload, yet should wait for that reload before moving in?
Is there any consideration being given to the obvious will of the people of the State of Colorado in this matter?
Apparently, the facts don’t matter to you or your fellow Democrats. Emotional testimony has been heard, but only given weight when supportive of these bills. A woman who had a gun but, in compliance with the law, left it in her car and was raped, is “on the wrong side of statistics,” while a woman who was defenseless by choice and shot by a lunatic is paraded around the country like some sort of circus act. Logic and reason have had no place in this debate.
Yet at the end of the day, in the House and the Senate, none of this surprises me. Dumb things happened last year when the Republicans were in charge, and dumb things are happening this year with the Democrats on top. I expected all this. However, what I did not expect was for you to fall in line so easily. I did not expect you to take the party line. I did not expect you to ignore the reason, and ignore the logic, and give in to the rhetoric.
So, thank you. Thank you for the reminder that when the chips are down, that D next to your name matters. Thank you for the impetus to get involved. I’ve never gotten into politics beyond a yard sign for one of my favorite high school teachers that was running for the school board, but that’s changed. You can count on my active involvement - not just financially, but in terms of my time and effort. Thank you for spurring me to action, and for the critical reminder that I cannot trust a politician to do what’s right - that they can only be counted on to march with their party.
“Thank you,” said the frog to the scorpion. “Thank you for this lesson. I will put it to good use.”
(wreave)
Colorado resident since 1984
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