Rick Larsen Is No Friend Of Our Second Amendment & No Friend Of Firearm Owners

Recently I sent a letter to all of our Representatives and Congressmen concerning the new laws that are being proposed to limit our 2nd Amendment Rights and that will place onerous restrictions on legal lawful firearm owners. I received a response back from our Representative Rick Larsen and I thought I would share this with everyone.

He is no friend of the 2nd Amendment that is for sure. He has teamed up with liberal New York Representative Caroline McCarthy who comes from a State that has the most restrictive laws on firearms and who in the past has shown that she is for every piece of legislation designed to remove firearms from the citizens. Rick Larsen could not have picked a more anti 2nd Amendment politician to team up with.

Could Rick Larsen be more out of touch with the citizens of his state?

Here is Representative Rick Larsen’s response to my letter:

“Dear Mr. Howard:

 Thank you for contacting me about steps we can take to prevent gun violence and make our communities safer. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

 Within the halls of Congress my colleagues and I are taking part in an important debate on the most effective manner of protecting the American people from gun violence. From the attack on Congresswoman Giffords that left six dead to the shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon and Connecticut, it is too painfully clear that we must take meaningful action to make our communities safer. The 2008 Skagit County mass shootings that killed six brought this type of tragedy to our home. No single law can prevent the actions of a madman, but that is no excuse to not take action.

 I continue to hold my position that Congress should reinstate the assault weapons ban and ban high-capacity ammunition clips above 10 rounds per clip. These military-grade weapons serve no legitimate purpose in civilian life and as such, I have cosponsored legislation that aims to remove these unnecessary weapons from our streets.

 We must close the gun show and private sale loopholes and strengthen background check requirements to make sure criminals and the mentally ill are unable to purchase guns. I am proud to have joined my colleague, Rep. Caroline McCarthy of New York, in sponsoring legislation that would provide for universal background checks to any individual wishing to buy, sell, or transfer a gun. Similarly, I support legislation that strengthens our ability to track the illegal flow of guns that too often fall through the cracks. This is not a matter of tracking gun ownership for those individuals who legally have the right to possess firearms, but is about identifying illegal activity that threatens our collective safety.

 Legislation on gun safety is part, but not all of the solution. Mental illness has been shown to be a factor in some of these mass shootings. Mental illnesses are often misunderstood and under-diagnosed. Health providers need to give mental health the same attention that physical health is given. Congress should direct more research into mental illness and provide more funding for effective care of mentally ill patients. The Mental Health First Act, which I am a cosponsor of, seeks to address the shortfalls that exist in mental health training.

 We have not seen the last of violent crimes in our country, but if Congress and the President act, we can make our communities safer and shrink this cycle of violence.

Sincerely,

Rick Larsen

United States Representative

Washington State, 2nd District