Thank you for contacting me about gun legislation. I appreciate hearing from you.

I support the right of Minnesotans to hunt, fish, and enjoy the great outdoors. These recreation pursuits are Minnesota traditions and it is important that these opportunities remain available for all to enjoy. However, we must support strong gun safety laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and children, not people who hunt. Far too many people are the victims of gun violence in our nation, including the hundreds who are killed and thousands that are injured in unintentional shootings. We must do more to prevent this type of violence from occurring, including continuing background checks, requiring safety devices that prevent guns from being used by someone other than the owner, and reinstating the ban on military style assault weapons.

Many criminals who use a firearm to commit a crime obtain the weapons illegally. Although it is difficult to prevent all criminals from obtaining firearms, strong background checks can reduce this danger significantly. Criminal background checks for gun purchases have prevented more than 600,000 attempted gun purchases by prohibited purchasers such as felons, fugitives, and domestic abusers. These checks are virtually instant: 72 percent are conducted within several minutes and over 95 percent in tho hours. Furthermore, criminal background checks do not prevent law-abiding citizens from obtaining a firearm for recreational purposes.

Be assured I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Administration on sensible firearm policies that promote safety and security first, without restricting the rights of lawful gun owners to use firearms for recreational purposes.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

Betty McCollum
Member of Congress

I've lived in McCollum's district since I moved to Minnesota 13 years ago. Every time I write to her on this or any other issue, I get a canned letter explaining her position--which is always 100% opposite from mine. Sometimes, the letter is written in a way that assumes that I hold her position. She can't even acknowledge that some of her constituents hold differing views from her.

I'm closing on a house at the end of the month. On my list of must haves, right after a minimum of three bedrooms, was "NOT in the 4th congressional district."

I'm sure she wouldn't support gun ownership for hunting or "recreational shooting" if she thought she could get away with it.

DJ

You should move to Washington County, good sheriff and in the 6th district. I left the 4th when Vento was still in there.

Interesting, Betty's letter indicates 600,000 applications have been rejected after criminal backgrouind checks. I guess the system works; its not broken; nothing to fix.