Gus Wrong on Stopping Gun Violence - Read his response

Post date: Jan 16, 2013 6:13:46 PM

Thank you for contacting me to share your support for greater gun control. I appreciate hearing from you.

First, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. What occurred there was a tragedy in the truest sense of the word. As a father of four boys, I cannot imagine the pain those families are dealing with on a daily basis. My heart goes out to them, and I keep those families, and the children and brave members of the school staff, in my prayers.

I understand your support for a federal policy that would introduce a ban on certain types of weapons and magazines. I believe the federal government must examine the underlying cause s of such violence. I support the right to responsibly bear arms under our Second Amendment, and I am hesitant to support legislation that would curtail the rights guaranteed by our forefathers in the Constitution and the Bill of rights. That said , I am open to reviewing measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and th ose with mental illness to ensure public safety. I believe that these are areas in which the Congress can come together in a bipartisan manner and enact policies that will address the root causes of mass violence, rather than only addressing the symptoms of the root causes. In this way, Congress can preserve the Constitutional rights guaranteed to its citizens while also enacting policies that keep the people of America safe. You can be assured that I will keep your comments in mind should I review any pertinent legislation in the 113 th Congress.

As a resident of Florida's Twelfth District, your comments and opinions are an important source of information to help me carry out my duties as your federal representative. In that regard, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future on any issue important to you. Also, if you would like to be informed more frequently about my work in Congress and in Florida's Twelfth Congressional District, please visit my website at http://www.bilirakis.house.gov to sign up for regular email or to send me a message.