by The administrators at The AK Forum have really stepped up in providing good letters for communicating with Congress. Their 7th letter reminds elected officials that the police are not required to provide protection as established by the Court’s decision in Castle Rock v. Gonzales.
Dear (Elected Official),I am writing to express my concerns with the recent efforts by the House and Senate to infringe upon my rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, I want you to understand that I am legally responsible for my own defense.
We, as a society, expect someone else to defend and protect us. Isn’t it the job of the police officers to protect us? That which we fail to accept is that it is not. In fact, it is impossible for them to do so. On June 27, 2005, after hearing the case of Castle Rock v. Gonzales, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individuals have no right to police protection under the federal Constitution, thus upholding what is known as public-duty doctrine. The police do not exist to protect individuals directly; they exist only to perform the general duties of deterring crime by general patrol and also to investigate after a crime has been committed to detect the perpetrator. They do not have the resources to provide individual protection to those threatened with criminal attack.
What this means is that I am the one legally responsible to defend and protect myself and my family. With the efforts of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to strip Americans of defensive firearms, how will I be able to defend and protect myself and family? With brooms, mops, and feather dusters? I prefer the firearms that I have today that will give me the advantage required for me to meet my legal responsibility.
In summary, as a law-abiding American citizen I am deeply concerned and fearful of what our elected officials are trying to legislate in Congress. I recommend that all elected officials read and refresh their memory on the content of the U.S. Constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights. I encourage you to focus your legislative efforts on addressing the problems plaguing the mental health system, not the Second Amendment.
As my elected official, as a law-abiding citizen, I expect your support in protecting my Second Amendment rights. If you cannot support me, then I cannot support you in future elections and will seek another candidate that will fight for my rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME)
Here are a few links where you can find the names and addresses of your state’s US Senators and Representatives. First, by state, from the US Senate’s webpage.
Click on the senator’s name to be linked to their home page. From there
you can find their fax and phone numbers. Second, from the House’s webpage, you can find your Congressman by your ZIP Code. Likewise, you can get their fax and phone numbers from their home page. Finally, the NRA-ILA has a “write your
reps” address locator. It can be found here. Whichever way, write them, call them, AND fax them in both DC and one of their local offices.