Open Letter to the Democratic Party

An open Letter to the Democratic Party

This is an open letter to the Democratic Party of the United States of America from the owner and founder of www.SaveTheGuns.com.

The Democratic Party has lost a lot of ground in the last few years. You have lost seats in state governorships, in both the United States House of Representatives and in the United States Senate as well as the White House.

I am quite certain that you are holding a series of meetings and hearings at public expense, to find out why you have been losing so much ground. Well, let me save you a little time and effort by giving you a few reasons why I think you have lost considerable ground and why you will not gain majority control again until you begin to change.

First, let me state a few facts for you. The number of American households who lawfully own and responsibly use firearms on a regular basis has grown tremendously in the last twenty years. Some estimate, that the percentage of homes in the United States that lawfully contain firearms may be as high as 48%.  I believe it to be a bit more than that, perhaps as much as 52%.

Passing and advocating for laws that regulate the lawful, honest and upright gun owner's possession, use and transportation of firearms has been a platform issue for the U.S. Democratic Party for decades.  Right there, you have alienated more than 50% of the U.S. households; good job, keep it going...  

The candidate that you chose to run for President of the United States, had more than fifty (+50) votes for gun control in his twenty year tenure in the United States Senate.  Being a Massachusetts citizen for most of my life, I have watched Senator Kerry's votes on gun control and he is not friendly toward lawful and honest firearm owners.

There is a vast majority of the U.S. population who believe that issues of national importance, should be decided upon within our government, with one eye on the Bible and the other eye upon the Bill of Rights.

America is, for the most part, still a moral, religious and ethical country. In the past twenty years, there has been a decided shift toward traditional religious and conservative values in the U.S. and I think it's refreshing and a good and healthy thing for America.

If America's Founding Fathers were alive today, in the halls of Congress, in our state legislatures, our White House and generally in the public eye, they would largely be considered pro-gun, right wing, religious, radical and conservative. Let me give you fifteen (15) quotes and part of the Massachusetts State Constitution to help me make my point:


"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
Thomas Jefferson



"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
George Washington



"Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." 
John Adams



"The power of the sword, say the minority of Pennsylvania, is in the hands of Congress. My friends and countrymen, it is not so, for the powers of the sword are in the hands of the yeomanry of America from 16 to 60. The militia of these free commonwealths, entitled and accustomed to their arms, when compared with any possible army, must be tremendous and irresistible. Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? It is feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American. The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people."
Tench Coxe, writing as "the Pennsylvanian" in the Philadelphia Federal Gazette, 1788



"We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government. Far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
James Madison (1751-1836) Fourth President of the United States.



"Providence has given to us the choice of our rulers, and it is the duty as well as the interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
John Jay (1745-1829) First Supreme Court Chief Justice



"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Patrick Henry (1736-1799) American Orator and Statesman



"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
John Adams (1735-1826) Second President of the United States.



"Taxes should be proportioned to what may be annually spared by the individual."
Thomas Jefferson 1784 Letter to James Madison



"There is no part of the administration of government that requires extensive information and a thorough knowledge of the principles of political economy, so much as the business of taxation. The man who understands those principles best will be least likely to resort to oppressive expedients, or sacrifice any particular class of citizens to the procurement of revenue. It might be demonstrated that the most productive system of finance will always be the least burdensome."
Alexander Hamilton Federalist Number 35



Excessive taxation...will carry reason and reflection to every man's door, and particularly in the hour of election.
Thomas Jefferson November 26, 1798



National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman.
John Adams January 1815



The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men.
Samuel Adams November 4, 1775



In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character.... 
Noah Webster 1789



Your love of liberty - your respect for the laws - your habits of industry - and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness.
George Washington October 27, 1789

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Let me give you a quote from the Massachusetts State Constitution. In fact, let me give you both Article two and three as follows:

Article II. It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society,publicly, and at stated seasons to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own
conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship.


Article III. As the happiness of a people, and the good order and preservation of civil government, essentially depend upon piety, religion and morality; and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community, but by the institution of the public worship of God, and of public instructions in piety, religion and morality: Therefore, to promote their happiness and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God, and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily.

And the people of this commonwealth have also a right to, and do, invest
their legislature with authority to enjoin upon all the subjects an
attendance upon the instructions of the public teachers aforesaid, at stated times and seasons, if there be any on whose instructions they can
conscientiously and conveniently attend.

Provided, notwithstanding, that the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, shall, at all times, have the exclusive right of electing their public teachers, and of contracting with them for their support and maintenance.

And all moneys paid by the subject to the support of public worship, and of the public teachers aforesaid, shall, if he require it, be uniformly applied to the support of the public teacher or teachers of his own religious sect or denomination, provided there be any on whose instructions he attends; otherwise it may be paid towards the support of the teacher or teachers of the parish or precinct in which the said moneys are raised.

Any every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably, and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law.

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Why does it always seem that when someone is trying to remove the Ten Commandments from public display, or someone tries to remove a manger scene from government property, it's almost universally a Democrat?  Open your eyes to the fact that America is still a fairly decent, fairly moral and mostly religious Christian country.  Refer back a few paragraphs and read the quoted articles taken directly from the Massachusetts Constitution again.

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Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who belong to the Democratic Party, who claim to be very religious and concerned about moral values.  However, if you take a close look at the traditional stands of the Democratic Party on issues that involve some degree of a moral stand, more often than not, the Democrats fall on the side of the fence that is opposite to what the Bible says, opposite to what the Founding Fathers believed or runs contrary to the Bill of Rights.

You see, ladies and gentlemen of the Democratic Party, the issues that we have to deal with today such as late term abortions, higher taxes, gun control laws, national defense, self defense and others, should be decided with an eye and an ear toward the Bible, the Bill of Rights, the rest of the Constitution and the words and opinions of our Founding Fathers.

Until the Democratic Party realizes that the Citizens of the United States look for certain qualities in our elected officials, you will continue to lose elections. The problem for the Democrats was clearly evident in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's statement after the election, when she said something to the effect about the Republican Party "exploiting" the religious people for their vote. We were not exploited by the Republican Party for our vote, but rather judged the Democrat candidates to be less religious, less concerned with morality and truth, less concerned with infringing upon the Bill of Rights and less concerned with national defense and the support of our military.

The appointment of Nancy Pelosi to House Minority Leader, clearly tells me that the Democratic Party is being led by the far left side of the party.  Senator John Kerry, running for the White House, from the party, also tells me that your party is being led around by the very most liberal factions of the party.

Yes, the election was still pretty close, but I believe that the platform issues that the Democratic Party stood on, gun control, abortion, other moral issues, tax increases, cuts in national defense spending and socialized national healthcare is what is keeping you from gaining any political ground in America.

Please also keep in mind, that a high percentage of votes on November 2, 2004, that went to John Kerry, were not votes for John Kerry, as much as they were votes against President Bush.

You must come to realize that America does not think like Hollywood liberals. We still largely believe there is a God, that abortion of human babies is wrong, that morality should play a higher role in government affairs, that we are taxed too much already, that you should spend our money much more frugally and that we are sick and tired of government telling us what we can or cannot do with our lawfully owned firearms.

Of course the big issue with me is the Democratic Party's obstinate, stubborn and pigheaded stand on government control of lawful, honest and upright gun owners. Why is it so damned hard for you to comprehend that lawful firearm owners do not commit any crimes?

If reducing violent crime committed with firearms is the true goal of any gun control law, then why are the vast majority of gun laws aimed directly at the law abiding gun owners? I just don't get it.

Is the Democratic Party as a whole, so dimwitted to believe that someone inclined towards violence, mayhem and murder, along with rape and the most heinous acts known to mankind, would choose to obey, comply with and submit to laws that regulate the purchase, possession and transportation of guns?????

It is absolutely maddening to me, that I, as a lawful, honest and upright firearm owner, am asked by my government to submit to legislation that is intended to curb rates of violent crime. Can't you see where I am coming from?????

Yes, America's lawful and honest gun owners want to help bring down rates of violent crime where firearms are used. But we will not support legislation that restricts our lawful, immediate and unencumbered access to the firearm of our choice.

You no doubt ask, "What then, does the lawful and honest gun owner want us to do about violent gun related crime?" I am so glad you asked...

We can bring down rates of violent crime where guns are used, while still maintaining our rights and generally staying within the words and spirit of the Second Amendment's protection afforded to us in the Bill of Rights.

We should focus on four (4) areas to bring down rates of violent crime committed with illegally possessed firearms, while maintaining the general integrity of the Second Amendment.

1.)  Impose additional penalties onto a crime if a firearm was present, brandished, fired or used to injure during the commission of a violent crime.

A. Five (5) additional years for firearm possession during commission of a violent crime.

B. Ten (10) additional years for brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

C. Fifteen (15) additional years for firing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

D. Twenty (20) additional years for injuring or killing a person during the commission of a violent crime.

All this added time in prison, with their freedom removed, will decrease the rates of crime where guns are involved without diminishing the constitutional rights of the law abiding.



2.)  Impose additional penalties to a robbery or burglary where a firearm is stolen. We must begin to formulate legislation that directly affects the sources of firearms that are actually used in a violent crime, rather than trying to control firearms in general.

An additional five (5) years, per firearm, should be added to a robbery of a household or business where a gun is stolen.



3.)  Impose severe penalties upon the supplier of an illegal gun, as long as the supplier was aware that the perpetrator was a felon or was about to use the gun during a felony. This would bring to a screeching halt to the practice of straw purchasing. Straw purchasing is of course where someone lawfully able to acquire a firearm, supplies a gun to someone who is disqualified from lawful gun ownership.

4.)  Impose additional penalties upon felons who attempt to purchase firearms through legitimate and lawful sources, such as federally licensed gun dealers and sporting goods outlets.

You see, lawful and honest gun owners are not sitting on a street corner waiting to peddle their gun collections to known felons. I shouldn't even have to make that statement, because it's so obvious, but many Democrat legislators I have personally contacted just don't get it.

We must focus legislation on both adding penalties to a crime where a gun is present, brandished, fired or used to injure, as well as concentrating efforts upon the sources of illegal firearms that are actually getting used during the commission of a violent crime.

You now undoubtedly ask, where are the criminals who use guns during the commission of crimes getting them.

In the largest study of its kind, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) studied more than 18,000 state and federal prisoners and tried to determine the sources of firearms that were used or possessed during the commission of a crime.

  Here’s what the study found:

  39.6% of the guns possessed or used during the commission of a crime came from FAMILY AND/OR FRIENDS.  It's not clear whether the majority are stolen from family and friends, or given to them by family and friends, but I believe that the majority of them were taken without the knowledge of the legal owners.  These types of access are not affected by gun control legislation.

39.2% were obtained through unlawful and illegal sources, such as ON THE STREET, THROUGH THE ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE AND THROUGH ROBBERIES AND BURGLARIES.  These types of firearm access are not affected by gun control legislation at all.

8.3% were purchased fraudulently through a LEGITIMATE AND PROPERLY LICENSED RETAIL OUTLET.  These purchases were made by misrepresenting themselves as law-abiding gun owners through false identification or other fraudulent means or through licensed retailers who were unlawfully not concerned about the purchaser's status as felons.  Obviously violent criminal thugs fabricate the required federal BATFE Form 4473.

3.8% were obtained by through a PAWN SHOP.  These purchases again were made by misrepresenting themselves or through pawn shop owners who were unlawfully unconcerned about their status as felons.

1.0% of the guns used or possessed during a crime were purchased at FLEA MARKETS OR YARD SALES.  This very small source of illegal firearms are obtained by irresponsible citizens who sell firearms to people they aren't familiar with, but who are not required by law to get a Federal Firearm License (FFL).

0.7% of them were purchased at GUN SHOWS.  This very clearly shows that the anti-gun movement's focus upon gun show legislation will have nearly no affect upon the criminal mind, but will rather unduly burden the law-abiding gun owner.  Background checks must be done at gun shows by retailers in the business of selling firearms already by law.  Anyone in the business of selling firearms must have a Federal Firearm License (FFL) as well as a state license.  There is no "gun show loophole".

OK, Democrats, that's about all I have to say. Until the Democratic Party platforms are altered, you will continue to lose. Until you realize that the ultra-left wing of the Democratic Party should not dictate the party's direction, you will continue to lose. Until you realize that the majority of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong, taxes are already too high, national defense should be a top priority and traditional religious values are important to us, you will continue to lose.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Step out of your dream world of a "politically correct", non-religious, Socialist utopia and understand that lawful gun owners want to be left out of the loop of anti-crime legislation.  Realize that we are still a generally moral and ethical country that believes in the Ten Commandments of God, the unborn infant's right to breathe and that we believe that our government is grossly misspending and wasting our hard earned money.  If government was not squandering our money, you could very easily save Social Security for the next century, without raising further taxes.  That goes for my Republican friends in Congress and in the White House as well; stop wasting our money on useless and inane programs, grants to foreign countries and other international wasting of our tax dollars. We're tired of it.

Oh and one more thing.  If you insist on blocking confirmations of federal judges nominated by President Bush, we the People of the United States, will hand you a much larger defeat on Election Day.

Let me end my message to you, with two quotes from just before and around the first century.

"Respect for religion must be reestablished, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of public officials must be curtailed, assistance to foreign lands must be stopped or we shall bankrupt ourselves. The people should be forced to work and not depend on the government for subsistence."
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman orator and philosopher (106-43BC)

"Quemadmoeum gladis nemeinum occidit,
occidentis telum _est" ("A sword is never a killer, it's a tool in the killer's hands")
Lucius Annaeus Seneca "the younger" ca. (4 BC - 65 AD)

Sincerely,

Marc Richardson
www.SaveTheGuns.com