Outside Counsel

Pretty much every day following the Newtown shootings I wrote to my Congressman, Brian Higgins on a daily basis, urging him to support gun control legislation. When I lived in Geneseo my Congressman was Barber Conable, and I don't know where he was on this issue-- since he represented a rural district I think my guess is probably accurate. Other than Conable (who was in nearly every other way a first-rate congressman) I have never been represented in Congress by anyone worse on this issue than Higgins, who's district is urban, and has had no excuse for being wrong. Now he is coming along:

Dear Mr. Altreuter: Thank you for contacting me to express your thoughts regarding gun control. I appreciate hearing from you. Less than two months ago the Nation was witness to a heartbreaking tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Our Western New York community and those throughout the country grieved and prayed for the lives of six adults and twenty innocent school children. This tragedy remains beyond comprehension. Mass shootings force us all to reflect and work together for safer communities allowing us to protect our children and loved ones. As the 113th Congress begins its work we must begin a dialogue and move forward on policies to protect our children and communities from the devastation of gun violence. I recognize there are a lot of people who have varied opinions and feelings on this issue. I believe in the second amendment right allowing law abiding individuals to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes. Hunters must be free to hunt. Law abiding adults should be free to own guns and protect their homes. This country has a strong tradition of gun ownership that has been handed down from generations – these rights must be upheld. However, I do not believe this is debate about eroding our second amendment rights. The founding fathers 200 years ago could never had anticipated the kind of hell wrought at Newtown. If they could speak to us today they’d speak collectively and clearly and say we need to do something as a nation. The politics needs to be set aside. I am sure we can all agree that irresponsible, law-breaking, or a mentally ill few should not be able to easily attain a weapon of war. I recognize that there is no perfect solution – no single law, or set of laws – to prevent all gun violence, but there are pragmatic steps we can take to significantly reduce the dangers of gun violence. If there exists anything we can do to prevent further heinous mass shootings like Newtown, we as a nation have a deep obligation to try. I support a ban on military style assault weapons and a reduction in high capacity magazines. I have co-sponsored H.R. 138, the High Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act. The students killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, all aged 5-7, each had between three to eleven bullets in them despite there only being one shooter; this legislation simply makes sense. Hunters do not use assault weapons with 30 round magazines. These devices are used to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time and we owe it to innocent Americans to keep them out of the hands of dangerous people. While the gun issue is in the forefront, the problem of adequate services for the seriously mentally ill must also be addressed. Access to mental health services and basic health care are limited. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services must make mental health services a higher priority than it has been. More research and education on mental health issues are needed, and states urgently need assistance in assessing and providing treatment for the mentally ill. Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to do so with any other issues of concern to you in the future. I invite you to visit my website, higgins.house.gov, where you can share your thoughts on other issues, subscribe to my e-newsletter, and learn more about the priorities I am working on in Congress on behalf of Western New York. Sincerely, Congressman Brian Higgins

I can't take credit for this-- if he thought my way he'd be in favor of quite a bit more reform. Still, the fact that a guy like Higgins (who is mostly okay on most other stuff) can come this far is a very good development. If there is going to be change then the drumbeat has to keep up. If you read Outside Counsel and you don't live in New York State, you know who you need to write to.