Mothers write police chiefs about gun violence
The following letter was written by the Montana Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. They were sent to police chiefs around the state.
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The national debate over firearms violence is resoundingly active here in Montana. Our state, which prides itself on a spirit of independence and self-reliance, finds itself right in the middle of this debate. No doubt members of your community have expressed to you the range of opinions that exist on this matter, and you, too, may have expressed your own opinions.
As a law enforcement leader in Montana, your opinion matters, and we want to take this opportunity to ask for your support in the effort to reduce firearms violence that will serve members of our general community, as well as our peace officers who serve as our protectors.
We represent Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Montana Chapter, a grass roots organization comprised of a broad cross section of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters throughout our state. We are your stakeholders and fervently hope that you will join with us in the effort to honor those innocents who have fallen to the violence of a firearm.
You know as well as anyone the toll that firearms violence takes in America. You know of the horror and tragedy that comes with the loss of a peace officer taken by the bullet fired by a criminal assailant.
In all of the controversial public discourse of late, you are probably aware of the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine Report issued in March of this year that contains the results of a comprehensive study investigating the relationship between firearm legislation and firearm related deaths in the United States.
The findings clearly indicate that states with higher numbers of gun control laws are associated with lower firearm related fatality rates. Montana, which was ranked 36th in the number of gun control laws, is among the 13 states with the highest per capita rate of gun related death. In light of the noted study coupled with the continuing number of persons needlessly injured and killed by firearms, we hope that you feel comfortable supporting the current cornerstones of our public safety campaign.
No less an organization than the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), seen by many as the most esteemed law enforcement voice in our nation, is on record as endorsing a ban on military style assault weapons, a ban on high capacity magazines, the need for universal background checks, and “other commonsense measures that will reduce the level of gun violence in the United States.” The IACP and its legal staff see no conflict with enacting these measures and any right to firearm ownership conveyed by the Second Amendment.
Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America strongly supports legislation that will accomplish the following initiatives now:
1) Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
2) Require background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases.
3) Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF, and ban online sales of ammunition.
4) Make gun trafficking a federal crime with serious criminal penalties.
Let us be clear, our organization in no way seeks to propose legislation that is in violation of any constitutional protection of individual rights as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court. We hear the concern, and frankly in many cases rhetoric, that surrounds this issue, but we are reminded that no less than Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has written that limitations may be placed upon the possession of firearms without violating constitutional rights. We firmly believe that enacting our proposals at the state and federal level will make for a constitutionally ensured safer environment for the public and our noble peace officers.
There are media reports that some law enforcement officials have publicly stated that they would refuse to enforce firearms control laws duly enacted by Congress. This, if true, is greatly disconcerting as it strikes at the basic structure of our American system of governance, where it is the judiciary that weighs the appropriateness of legislation, not individual law enforcement officials. We hope that our survey will help dispel any misinformation that has been disseminated by media sources.
Thank you very much for taking of your valuable time and knowledge in reading this letter and responding to our survey. It is our fervent hope that we can collectively craft legislation that will make for a safer America where our children need not fear going to school, people can safely watch a movie in a theater and peace officers are far less likely to face the inexcusable danger of a criminal armed with a gun. We greatly respect and are indebted to our law enforcement leaders, and want you to personally know that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for doing all that you can appropriately do in keeping our communities safe.
Nancy de Pastino and Scott Swanson are members of Montana Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which is based in Missoula.