To From Regarding Date

: [Insert the Name of Your Representative/Senator] : [Insert Your Name or the Name of Your Organization] : [Insert Name of Bill] : [Insert Date]

It is my understanding that you will be voting on a bill that will affect the gun rights. Before concluding on this bill, I implore you to consider the rationale below so that you can dutifully represent the will of The People, correctly interpret The United States Constitution, and diligently reflect on court cases throughout our proud history.

There are approximately 65 million gun owners in the United States who enjoy the protection of our Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment protects their right and the right of every citizen to legally own and operate guns. This right has been protected in courts over the course of a hundred plus years.

The Supreme Court recognized that the right to arms is an individual right in U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876), Presser v. Illinois (1886), Miller v. Texas (1894), U.S. v. Miller (1939) and U.S. v. Verdugo-Urquidez (1990). In U.S. v. Cruikshank, the Court also recognized that the right pre-existed the Constitution.

Since our inalienable rights include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we cannot exercise those rights if we are not safe. Self-protection and the ability to fight against tyranny are core values our Founding Fathers believed and embedded within The Constitution. They envisioned a citizenry that must protect itself.

Those who oppose our second amendment would like for us to believe in a government that protects its people. They would like to strip peaceful citizens of their basic right to safety in an attempt to achieve safe neighborhoods. However, a vibrant democracy demands that we protect ourselves, because we are the embodiment of democracy and government is but our tool. Further regulating gun ownership only affects law-abiding citizens, resulting in criminals operating guns.

Research by criminologist Gary Kleck in the 1990s found that guns were used nearly 2.5 million times per year to stop crime. He used national statistics and found that guns were used three to five times as much for defensive purposes as they were for criminal purposes. Mr. Kleck’s research sheds light on the protective nature of gun ownership.

As a law-abiding citizen of this great land, it must be said that the focus should rest upon education and the enforcement of current laws. Gun safety education has lowered accidental deaths to less than 1% of all accidental deaths. Therefore, those who willingly use guns irresponsibly must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

As it can be seen, there are choices we must face individually and as a nation. If we decide to give our government too much control, we will be making it an arbiter for determining our fate instead of helping us to determine our own fate. Restricting every citizen’s freedom is a dangerous proposition with grave consequences.

Do we want a larger government that envelopes our lives in the name of safety or do we want a smart government that helps teach us to be responsible and free? Some people believe that we can only be safe when government inhibits our basic freedom, making it harder to protect ourselves. This is a government that evades issues of personal responsibility, holds the actions of criminals against those who are law-abiding, and regulates our lives for us.

Our other choice is that we fashion a smart government that helps teach us to be responsible and free. The millions of Americans who support this view believe that we can only be safe when we are informed of the issues and make decisions for ourselves. These Americans know the danger of fashioning a powerful government and a weak citizenry. Reflect on the war that was fought against England to attain our freedom; remember what risks our Founding Fathers took to obtain a free society and a government that was not intrusive.

I ask you, which government would you rather fashion? Which government helps you to be free? Reflect on our gun laws and future bills thoughtfully, as the consequences of your decisions will affect the civil rights of every inhabitant within our United States of America. I will be expecting you to vote on behalf of defending gun rights.