Open letter to the Honorable
Tom Ridge and the Office of Homeland Security
Dear Mr. Ridge,
Tom Diaz, Henry Waxman, Dianne Feinstein and several others have been working
hard to erode this Nation's Second Amendment for decades now. They struck a
victorious blow against the Second Amendment after the tragic shooting of James
Brady with the passing of the Brady Bill, capitalizing on Sarah Brady's tragic
loss and her presence as a victim.
On the heels of the 9-11-01 tragedy, the Violence
Policy Center, under the direction of Tom Diaz, released a 104 page report
citing how Barrett Manufacturing
of Murfreesboro TN "supplied the Taliban with 50 caliber rifles capable
of taking down aircraft or lightly armored vehicles", calling for support
to their cause of restricting civilian ownership of these rifles. They know
people will pay attention to this report in light of the skyrocketing fears
and willingness to trade Freedoms for security. The fact is, the Barrett M82A1
.50 cal BMG rifles Diaz uses as a platform, were sold to U.S. Military during
the 1980's and the U.S. Military supplied these arms to the Mujahedeen, along
with the Stinger missiles our Government supplied to the "Afghani Freedom
Fighters" to be used against the Russian invaders. Please visit the Barrett
Manufacturing website for a well-worded reply debunking many of the myths
of the recent VPC report.
It saddens me to see the VPC and Henry Waxman
capitalize on the death of thousands in a time when our great Nation is to close
ranks. Everyone speaks of solidarity and nonpartisanship in a time our Country
truly needs to unify, but Diaz, Waxman and others seek to twist the situation
to suit their agendas and further erode the Second Amendment.
The VPC has spent considerable time determining
just how the .50 cal BMG rifle can be used domestically pointing out targets,
hitherto not thought of by the public. It adds fear to their article but it
is irresponsible of them to publish this information to the public. A concerned
individual would deliver their message through proper channels.
The VPC and Waxman cite the .50 caliber rifle
as a great threat, yet it is one of the few calibers that have never been used
in a crime. They will demonize the rifle telling the public that the Branch
Davidians had a .50 caliber weapon, but they neglect to mention it was not used
once in the lengthy conflict.
With such tunnel vision on their political agendas, they rush to tailor a report
and further their own political career with disregard to the American People.
Their suggestions are limited to these political agendas and are not truly an
attempt to help our Nation or the Office of Homeland Security in it's daunting
task.
Fifty caliber weapons are the pinnacle of private firearms ownership. A Barrett
M82A1 with a scope will cost approximately $8,000.00 and weighs over 30 pounds
with ammunition. These are not common or low-tech weapons. It's upsetting to
see Tom Diaz and Henry Waxman distract your office by attempting to draw you
into a Second Amendment issue when imminent threats do NOT lie within private
firearms ownership. Not at all. In fact, with the threat right here in
our own backyards it is important for America to be a strong America. We need
more strong Americans. The heroes of flight 93 show an accurate cross-section
of our people. That cross-section included a Judo champion a weightlifter and
a Rugby player, STRONG AMERICANS. We have a strong America and the enemy needs
to KNOW IT! "Let's roll" - May that be our battle cry! We are
not dealing with a "conventional military force" using firearms.
We are dealing with terrorists who
improvise weapons of mass destruction from our own backyards. The Taliban boast
that one fanatic of theirs is worth a battalion of our Armed Forces in the destruction
they can cause here on our soil. We face great danger and must be strong. I
urge you to return the reports Henry Waxman and Tom Diaz have sent to your office
and tell them you have a Country to protect. Please let them know your office
does not seek to involve itself with their attacks on our Country's Second Amendment.
Keep America Strong,
webmaster@thecapitol.com
Proud American
Proud Pennsylvanian
See original letters at http://www.thecapitol.com/homelandsecurity.htm.
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