Open Letter to President Obama

RetiredMajor · February 26, 2009, 10:39 AM

An open letter to President Barak Obama
Dear Mr. President,
First and foremost, I wish you good health and Godspeed on the important work you are doing. Thank you for your efforts.
I did not vote for you. But, you have my complete support as you work to repair our economy and keep our nation safe. Nothing would make me happier than for you to prove to me that I should have voted for you. It would cause me no embarrassment to be proven wrong on this matter.
I’m an American citizen and a patriot, having served my country proudly for over twenty-one years, combined of Active Duty Army and National Guard service. I’m a husband and have been married to the same woman for 29 years. I’m the father of four children. I’m an employer and a leader in my company. As such, I have thirty-seven team members for which I am responsible, a responsibility I do not take lightly. I’m an employee, and proud to work for my company. In fact, since the age of seventeen, when I joined the US Army, I have never spent a day where I wasn’t employed or in school, or both. I’m a member of the NRA and am a Certified NRA Instructor. I have no criminal record. I own a dog, and love her dearly.
I have heard rumors that you are not a supporter of the Second Amendment and may work to curtail freedoms that I, and many others, enjoy today. I hope those are just rumors. But, there are reports of people buying up firearms and ammunition of all types to get ahead of any new laws or restrictions that your administration may impose. I hope they are wrong.
Here are my thoughts on the subject. First, guns don’t kill people, people kill people and they do it with all sorts of weapons or their bare hands. I saw a headline the other day that read KILLER GUN WAS CHRISTMAS GIFT. I have never seen a headline that read KILLER KNIFE WAS CHRISTMAS GIFT, or KILLER BLUNT OBJECT WAS CHRISTMAS GIFT, yet those inanimate objects are used as weapons all too often. I’m not making light of death or murder, they are tragedies, to be sure. But those types of headlines speak volumes about the media bias against firearms. Secondly, I’m in favor of laws that keep firearms, and other weapons, out of the hands of criminals. I support laws that have stiffer penalties for crimes committed with any weapon, including firearms.
I do not support measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from owning and enjoying firearms for sport or personal protection. If government enacts restrictive laws, the law-abiding, by definition will obey those laws. Criminals, by definition won’t obey those laws. In effect, the laws only serve to disarm those who are law-abiding and provide a target-rich environment for criminals. Today, forty states allow citizens to carry weapons on their person provided they meet certain criteria. The laws in those states are working well, and in general, crimes of all types have dropped over the last decade. Is there a correlation? It would take an army of scientists and mathematicians to answer that question and even they wouldn’t agree. I can tell you with certainty that while gun ownership and the number of law-abiding citizens carrying firearms has increased, violent crime has decreased.
I know there is a lot of emotion around this subject and I ask you to carefully sort the emotion from the facts. I ask you to support measures that punish criminals, not law-abiding citizens. I ask you to support laws that allow people like me to protect themselves and their loved-ones as opposed to ensuring that I am unarmed and easy prey for criminals. I would submit to you that there are no such places as GUN FREE ZONES. Criminals walk right past those signs. Those are places where law-abiding citizens are unarmed and criminals are free to kill.
I have noticed an aspect of your leadership style that I appreciate. That is, when considering matters of great importance you gather input from a diverse group who consider and debate all sides of the issue. I hope you take this same approach when considering matters related to the Second Amendment.
Again, thank you for your hard work. God bless you and your family as you serve this great nation.

Regards,
A concerned citizen

fisherman66 · February 26, 2009, 10:42 AM

Expect a low grade aide to scan for threats and then send a boilerplate response.

If you can find a Portuguese Water dog at a shelter then you might actually get that letter to the man. Priories my friend.

hoytinak · February 26, 2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

I support banning fully automatic firearms from the general public.

Quote:

I do not support measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from owning and enjoying firearms for sport or personal protection.

These two sentences contradict each other. What about those of us law-abiding citizens that enjoy our full-autos? Our full-autos are not going to go out and committ any crimes just like your firearms are not going to.

RetiredMajor · February 26, 2009, 10:54 AM

Hoytinak, today, can any citizen with a permit to acquire, purchase a fully automatic firearm?

hoytinak · February 26, 2009, 10:55 AM

Any law-abiding citizen that lives in a free state....yes.

azredhawk44 · February 26, 2009, 10:56 AM

Also, if your letter is inside of an envelope it will be left unopened in a warehouse for several weeks or months in an attempt to kill anything biologically active inside of it.

It will then be opened in a separate processing facility away from the White House in the event of chemical attack or contamination.

Result: You are not "heard" by anyone, even a low level $10 an hour mail sorter/reader in a security checkpoint, for a couple of months after legislation has already passed.

If you want to actually be heard, make it shorter and put it on a postcard. A postcard has no container, so can't carry any threatening agents on it. It will be read upon receipt and your voice (such as it is) will have a faster effect and response (if any at all).

RetiredMajor · February 26, 2009, 11:19 AM

hoytinak...not quite true. A PERMIT TO ACQUIRE will not provide the ability to purchase a fully automatic weapon. If you own one then you know the process is a bit more involved and requires more than a PERMIT TO ACQUIRE. Fully automatic firearms are more heavily regulated. But, my intent was not to start a debate among us over any single issue, it was to express my hopes for how President Obama's handles the issue of firearms legislation, in general.

Respectfully,
Major

goodspeed(TPF) · February 26, 2009, 11:20 AM

Overall well said, except I disagree with this little snippet.

Quote:

I support banning fully automatic firearms from the general public.

I think you would either have to be WAY MORE DETAILED AND SPECIFIC in your description of what you mean by that, or omit it completely. IMHO.

hoytinak · February 26, 2009, 11:28 AM

Edit: ....good luck on your letter. Let us know if you get anything back.

RetiredMajor · February 26, 2009, 11:30 AM

I will agree to omit it. I don't own one but concede that others have an interest. I have no desire to stomp on other's rights. Thank you for your feedback.

Edited.

Major

goodspeed(TPF) · February 26, 2009, 11:35 AM

Good luck Major, and keep us posted iffin ya hear anything back.

hoytinak · February 26, 2009, 11:38 AM

Sorry sir but I'm an enlisted man myself....so I'm used to speaking my mind to officers from time to time.

RetiredMajor · February 26, 2009, 11:54 AM

And I was enlisted for a long time.....made SSG and then decided to attend OCS...so I KNOW that enlisted personnel are worth listening to. That one thing made me a better Officer!

Major

bclark1 · February 26, 2009, 01:54 PM

Regrettably, he just doesn't care.

CONGRESSIONAL PROFICIENCY AND CONDUCT MARKS
Barack Obama (D-IL) - F / 0.5%
Joe Biden (D-DE) - F / 0.0%
http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/docume...teAnalysis.pdf
(Passing with a D- is 60%.)

We've seen this before:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=277725

Thanks for your service, Major. Best luck getting better results than above.

SecDef · February 27, 2009, 02:13 AM

How is the response from Bill Clinton at all relevant?

Much more useful would have been a link to http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/...009-02-26.html

Texas Solo · February 27, 2009, 07:37 PM

Why did Clinton think that I "live in constant fear"??
Now if he took my guns, THEN I'd live in constant fear.

February 26, 2009, 10:39 AM	#1
RetiredMajor Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 456	Open Letter to President Obama An open letter to President Barak Obama Dear Mr. President, First and foremost, I wish you good health and Godspeed on the important work you are doing. Thank you for your efforts. I did not vote for you. But, you have my complete support as you work to repair our economy and keep our nation safe. Nothing would make me happier than for you to prove to me that I should have voted for you. It would cause me no embarrassment to be proven wrong on this matter. I’m an American citizen and a patriot, having served my country proudly for over twenty-one years, combined of Active Duty Army and National Guard service. I’m a husband and have been married to the same woman for 29 years. I’m the father of four children. I’m an employer and a leader in my company. As such, I have thirty-seven team members for which I am responsible, a responsibility I do not take lightly. I’m an employee, and proud to work for my company. In fact, since the age of seventeen, when I joined the US Army, I have never spent a day where I wasn’t employed or in school, or both. I’m a member of the NRA and am a Certified NRA Instructor. I have no criminal record. I own a dog, and love her dearly. I have heard rumors that you are not a supporter of the Second Amendment and may work to curtail freedoms that I, and many others, enjoy today. I hope those are just rumors. But, there are reports of people buying up firearms and ammunition of all types to get ahead of any new laws or restrictions that your administration may impose. I hope they are wrong. Here are my thoughts on the subject. First, guns don’t kill people, people kill people and they do it with all sorts of weapons or their bare hands. I saw a headline the other day that read KILLER GUN WAS CHRISTMAS GIFT. I have never seen a headline that read KILLER KNIFE WAS CHRISTMAS GIFT, or KILLER BLUNT OBJECT WAS CHRISTMAS GIFT, yet those inanimate objects are used as weapons all too often. I’m not making light of death or murder, they are tragedies, to be sure. But those types of headlines speak volumes about the media bias against firearms. Secondly, I’m in favor of laws that keep firearms, and other weapons, out of the hands of criminals. I support laws that have stiffer penalties for crimes committed with any weapon, including firearms. I do not support measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from owning and enjoying firearms for sport or personal protection. If government enacts restrictive laws, the law-abiding, by definition will obey those laws. Criminals, by definition won’t obey those laws. In effect, the laws only serve to disarm those who are law-abiding and provide a target-rich environment for criminals. Today, forty states allow citizens to carry weapons on their person provided they meet certain criteria. The laws in those states are working well, and in general, crimes of all types have dropped over the last decade. Is there a correlation? It would take an army of scientists and mathematicians to answer that question and even they wouldn’t agree. I can tell you with certainty that while gun ownership and the number of law-abiding citizens carrying firearms has increased, violent crime has decreased. I know there is a lot of emotion around this subject and I ask you to carefully sort the emotion from the facts. I ask you to support measures that punish criminals, not law-abiding citizens. I ask you to support laws that allow people like me to protect themselves and their loved-ones as opposed to ensuring that I am unarmed and easy prey for criminals. I would submit to you that there are no such places as GUN FREE ZONES. Criminals walk right past those signs. Those are places where law-abiding citizens are unarmed and criminals are free to kill. I have noticed an aspect of your leadership style that I appreciate. That is, when considering matters of great importance you gather input from a diverse group who consider and debate all sides of the issue. I hope you take this same approach when considering matters related to the Second Amendment. Again, thank you for your hard work. God bless you and your family as you serve this great nation. Regards, A concerned citizen __________________ RetiredMajor, NRA Certified Instructor Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast! Last edited by RetiredMajor; February 26, 2009 at 11:32 AM.

February 26, 2009, 10:42 AM	#2
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,679	Expect a low grade aide to scan for threats and then send a boilerplate response. If you can find a Portuguese Water dog at a shelter then you might actually get that letter to the man. Priories my friend. __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!

February 26, 2009, 10:54 AM	#4
RetiredMajor Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 456	Hoytinak, today, can any citizen with a permit to acquire, purchase a fully automatic firearm? __________________ RetiredMajor, NRA Certified Instructor Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast!

February 26, 2009, 11:19 AM	#7
RetiredMajor Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 456	hoytinak...not quite true. A PERMIT TO ACQUIRE will not provide the ability to purchase a fully automatic weapon. If you own one then you know the process is a bit more involved and requires more than a PERMIT TO ACQUIRE. Fully automatic firearms are more heavily regulated. But, my intent was not to start a debate among us over any single issue, it was to express my hopes for how President Obama's handles the issue of firearms legislation, in general. Respectfully, Major __________________ RetiredMajor, NRA Certified Instructor Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast! Last edited by RetiredMajor; February 26, 2009 at 11:27 AM.

February 26, 2009, 11:30 AM	#10
RetiredMajor Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 456	I will agree to omit it. I don't own one but concede that others have an interest. I have no desire to stomp on other's rights. Thank you for your feedback. Edited. Major __________________ RetiredMajor, NRA Certified Instructor Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast!

February 26, 2009, 10:55 AM	#5
hoytinak Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,721	Any law-abiding citizen that lives in a free state....yes.

February 26, 2009, 10:56 AM	#6
azredhawk44 Junior member Join Date: September 28, 2005 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 6,465	Also, if your letter is inside of an envelope it will be left unopened in a warehouse for several weeks or months in an attempt to kill anything biologically active inside of it. It will then be opened in a separate processing facility away from the White House in the event of chemical attack or contamination. Result: You are not "heard" by anyone, even a low level $10 an hour mail sorter/reader in a security checkpoint, for a couple of months after legislation has already passed. If you want to actually be heard, make it shorter and put it on a postcard. A postcard has no container, so can't carry any threatening agents on it. It will be read upon receipt and your voice (such as it is) will have a faster effect and response (if any at all).

February 26, 2009, 11:28 AM	#9
hoytinak Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,721	Edit: ....good luck on your letter. Let us know if you get anything back.

February 26, 2009, 11:35 AM	#11
goodspeed(TPF) Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2009 Location: WI Posts: 1,162	Good luck Major, and keep us posted iffin ya hear anything back. __________________ It's a trick. Get an axe. http://www.thepiratefleet.com/index.shtml

February 26, 2009, 11:38 AM	#12
hoytinak Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,721	Sorry sir but I'm an enlisted man myself....so I'm used to speaking my mind to officers from time to time.

February 26, 2009, 11:54 AM	#13
RetiredMajor Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 456	And I was enlisted for a long time.....made SSG and then decided to attend OCS...so I KNOW that enlisted personnel are worth listening to. That one thing made me a better Officer! Major __________________ RetiredMajor, NRA Certified Instructor Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast!

February 26, 2009, 01:54 PM	#14
bclark1 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,531	Regrettably, he just doesn't care. CONGRESSIONAL PROFICIENCY AND CONDUCT MARKS Barack Obama (D-IL) - F / 0.5% Joe Biden (D-DE) - F / 0.0% http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/docume...teAnalysis.pdf (Passing with a D- is 60%.) We've seen this before: http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=277725 Thanks for your service, Major. Best luck getting better results than above.

February 27, 2009, 02:13 AM	#15
SecDef Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2007 Posts: 1,545	How is the response from Bill Clinton at all relevant? Much more useful would have been a link to http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/...009-02-26.html __________________ "America is Great because America is Good; If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be Great!". - Dwight D. Eisenhower

February 27, 2009, 07:37 PM	#16
Texas Solo Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 169	Why did Clinton think that I "live in constant fear"?? Now if he took my guns, THEN I'd live in constant fear. __________________ When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

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