×
×
homepage logo

Supportive of proposed bill

By Staff | Aug 16, 2013

I am writing to offer an important clarification to the article you published in your Aug. 9 edition, entitled “Group meets with Sen. Manchin .”

Sen. Manchin’s bill does NOT promote gun registration. In fact it specifies that the existing prohibition on a national gun registry is to remain in force.

This bi-partisan bill does attempt to close the background check loophole. I would urge people to read the bill. It is on Sen. Manchin’s website, www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/gun-sense.. The bill is a common-sense approach that does nothing to restrict the second amendment rights of law abiding citizens. It is an attempt to keep guns out of the hands of felons and it is an attempt to ensure that our loved ones will not be staring down the barrel of a gun pointed at them by another James Holmes, the Aurora shooter, or Seung-Hui Cho, who murdered so many students at Virginia Tech. Both of these shooters have or had mental illnesses, which should have made them ineligible to purchase firearms.

We can never ensure that another mass shooting won’t occur, but I believe that this legislation would make it much less likely. Those of our group who visited with Sen. Manchin have diverse opinions on what additional steps, if any, would make our communities safe from gun violence. But our trip to Sen. Manchin’s office was primarily in support of his proposed legislation. I hope that more people will take the time to read and understand the bill.

Sincerely,

Esther Murphy