My Letter to Congress: H.R.822 National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011

First I would like to thank you for replying to my initial email, which seems like something you actually wrote instead of some auto response. I also appreciate that you clearly state your views. Here was your reply to my initial message:

"Dear Jordan,
Thank you for contacting me about H.R.822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. I appreciate hearing from you on this legislation, and I regret the delay in responding.
I strongly support Minnesotans' rights to own guns for collection, protection, and sport. In 2003, the Minnesota State Legislature passed the Minnesota Personal Protection Act, which allows residents who are over 21 years old, have undergone handgun safety training, and do not have felony criminal convictions to apply for a handgun permit. Our state legislature worked hard to balance gun ownership rights with the safety of all Minnesotans, which should always be our goal.
The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act would undermine our state's ability to decide for itself how to balance gun ownership rights and public safety. It would allow a person to carry a concealed firearm in any state he visited so long as he was allowed to carry the firearm in his home state. In other words, H.R. 822 would take away Minnesotans' right to decide who can carry a firearm in our state. That's why I voted against similar legislation in July 2009. In doing so, I stood with the Minnesota Chief of Police Association, eight Minnesota mayors, and numerous community groups. When it comes to law enforcement and community safety, I believe Minnesotans know what's best for Minnesota.
H.R. 822 was introduced in the House of Representatives in February and passed the House in November. It since has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am a member. When considering this bill in committee or in the Senate chamber, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind.
Thank you again for contacting me, and please don't hesitate to do so in the future regarding this or any other matter of concern to you."

I would like to again state that I am a voting MN resident who voted for you. I would also like to state that I am a legal gun owner with my permit to carry in the state of MN.

I hear your concern about safety and "state rights", but please let me remind you the state rights follow constitutional rights, and the second amendment clearly states that US citizens have the RIGHT to keep and bear arms. It does not say that we have the right to keep and bear arms if the state we are currently in feels like allowing us to keep and bear arms, or we only sort of have the right to keep and bear arms. Plain and simple, any law abiding, mentally stable citizen of these 50 states has the constitutional right to keep, and bear arms and any of the 50 states.
I understand the need to make sure that citizens are law abiding. I am cool with background checks, I am ok with waiting periods, but I am not ok with the fact that when I travel to another state, they can decide whether or not I am allowed to exercise my constitutional rights. As a law abiding, tax paying citizen, it costs me over $180 (class included)
to obtain a permit to be "allowed" to use my second amendment right, which then needs to be renewed every 5 years. And do you really think a criminal is going to have a thought process following the lines of "I was going to rob the store at gun point and murder that guy, but I don't have a permit to legally carry a gun... aww shucks". No.

But lets put it in terms of a different constitutional right, the 1st amendment: Free speech is incredibly dangerous, more dangerous than any one man with a firearm. Lies and slander have cost people endless sums of money, times, and very often their lives. Wars are started because of free speech, cults use free speech to brainwash people, political and business agendas that are not beneficial to the people and have cost many lives, many people's health, many people's jobs, and countless other injustices have all been a product of an unregulated loose lip. So under the exact same argument on why the second amendment can be overshadowed by means of "safety", the same can be said for the 1st. using this logic, it should be required for every person to have a state issued permit to be allowed to practice free speech, it should be expensive enough where lower class people can't afford it, and it shoudl only be applicable in one state. I mean what if a guy from Texas traveled to a bunch of different states, spread lies and slander in order to achieve a position of power... lets say the presidency, and then used that power to send thousands of people to their deaths for unknown reasons on false pretenses, and spent trillions of dollars in other peoples money, all because he had the right to free speech and we didn't regulate it. Would be horrible if that happened, wouldn't it?
Clearly you see the point I am trying to make. You cannot pick and choose what rights are actually our rights, either they all are, or none are. And if you threaten one, who is to say that its only a matter of time before another is taken when it suits some purpose of "safety".

Again, I appreciate your time and the fact that you responded to my message. I respect that you have you beliefs and you state your stance openly. But you are a representative of the people and are supposed to uphold our constitutional rights.


Sincerely,
jordan waggoner

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail me. This is a confirmation that
we have received your message. One of the most important parts of my job
is listening to what the people of Minnesota have to say to me. I am
here in our nation's capital to do the public's business on behalf of
the people of our state.

Please continue to visit my website at http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov
to follow what I am working on, both in Washington and Minnesota. It is
frequently updated with current news and events regarding my work in the
U.S. Senate.

Additionally, many constituents ask about tracking the progress of
legislation. One useful tool is to regularly check my website. Another
resource I recommend is the Library of Congress legislative information
website, http://thomas.loc.gov. I hope you find this information
helpful.

- Amy

Please do not reply to this email address. The best way to contact me is
through my website at http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov. Thank you!

 

 

Thank you for submitting your message to my U.S. Senate office.  Each week, several thousand Minnesotans send me their thoughts and suggestions on legislation and important issues facing our nation. This impressive volume is a testament to the Minnesotan traditions of grassroots activism and civic participation that distinguish our state. I closely track the concerns that are expressed in your letters and emails, and will answer them as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Al Franken

United States Senator

P.S. To sign up to receive my email updates visit http://franken.senate.gov/

 

North Star Newsletter | March, 2012

Sen. Franken Hosting the Second Annual Hotdish Competition for the Minnesota Delegation

Second Annual Hotdish Competition

On Wednesday, I hosted our second annual hotdish competition for the Minnesota Congressional delegation. It was a delicious opportunity to spend time with my Minnesota colleagues and put aside partisan differences. Eight members of the delegation participated, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Reps. Collin Peterson, Michele Bachmann, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Erik Paulsen, and Chip Cravaack. This was a fun opportunity to get the Minnesota delegation together in the spirit of bipartisanship and to celebrate a great Minnesota tradition - the hotdish.

I'm proud - and somewhat surprised - to announce that Rep. Cravaack and I tied for first place. My entry was called "Mom's Mahnomin Madness" hotdish, and Rep. Cravaack had the tasty "Minnesota Wild Strata" hotdish. You can find all eight recipes and photos from the event on my website.

Touring Minnesota Farm Communities

One out of five jobs in Minnesota depends on agriculture, so I'm very focused on the 2012 Farm Bill, which is about to come before the Senate. One of my top priorities is making sure that we have a robust safety net for Minnesota farmers to get them through hard times. And since this year has been especially dry, it's important to remember that farmers only have until March 15 to purchase crop insurance before the start of the growing season.

The farm bill will have an important impact on Minnesota farmers and on our state's economy. So, I sent key members of my staff to communities across Minnesota to update farmers, ranchers, and agriculture officials on the status of the Farm Bill and to hear their concerns. I will use their input during the upcoming Senate debate to ensure Minnesota's interests are reflected in the bill.

Improving Courthouse Safety

Recently, there has been a dramatic rise in local courthouse violence across the country—including a shooting in December at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais. Our local sheriffs and court personnel should not have to put their lives at risk to ensure that the basic acts of our judicial system get carried out. So I've introduced the Local Courthouse Safety Act to improve security at smaller courthouses.

My bill would address security concerns, like a lack of screening equipment and security training at local courthouses, by giving courthouses access to the resources they need to improve security and make sure that every Minnesotan's day in court is safe.

Creating Jobs for Veterans

The unemployment rate for veterans who have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq is currently three times the state average. This is unacceptable. These men and women have sacrificed for all of us, and we have to do everything we can to create jobs for them once their service is done. That's why I'm proud to support a new tax credit that's now available to Minnesota employers who hire veterans. The credit can be as high as $9,600 per veteran for for-profit employers and up to $6,240 for tax-exempt organizations. This tax credit will help create opportunities to put our veterans back to work by providing an incentive for Minnesota businesses to hire them. It is still a tough economy out there, but this is a step in the right direction and the right thing to do.

To unsubscribe from these newsletters, please visit the unsubscribe page here:

http://franken.senate.gov/?p=newsletter_unsub

North Star Newsletter | April, 2012

Sen. Franken visiting nurses in Minneapolis

The Affordable Care Act is Already Working

For decades, the cost of our health care system had been skyrocketing, while also leaving tens of millions of Americans uninsured, and completely excluding people with pre-existing conditions or those who had reached lifetime limits on coverage. Now, under the Affordable Care Act, hardworking families in Minnesota are starting to get the security they need from our health care system. And I’m proud that a provision I authored, which requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on actual health care instead of executive salaries, profits, or marketing, will be going into effect next year. A recent study showed that this provision would have saved nearly $2 billion nationally (and $266 on average for each Minnesotan) if it had been in place in 2010. So I'm very optimistic that it can make a real difference.

We’re only two years into implementation of the Affordable Care Act and already we can see the impact it’s having on people’s lives. More than a million Minnesotans have benefited from the ACA so far, and it’s only going to get better as the rest of the Affordable Care Act is implemented.

Working to Make Gasoline More Affordable

Minnesotans are feeling the rising cost of gasoline at the pump. Average gas prices in our state are around $3.75 a gallon right now, squeezing budgets of already cash-strapped families. A recent report by Forbes Magazine, which used data from Goldman Sachs, showed that excessive oil speculation—the practice of market traders who seek to enrich themselves by predicting whether the price of oil will go up or down in the future—contributes significantly to the rising cost of oil, and can add as much as 56 cents to the cost of every gallon of gas. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation that requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use its authority to eliminate excessive speculation and bring down the price of gas.

Supporting the Rural Energy for America Program

Farmers and small businesses are the backbone of our economy in Minnesota. Their hard work and innovation help build communities and create jobs. But often high-energy costs can prevent businesses and farms from thriving, which is why I introduced legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This bill will help farmers and small businesses save money on energy while at the same time earn some extra income. The program gives grants and loan guarantees to agriculture producers and businesses in rural areas to help them install renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. This will save small businesses money and help farmers diversify and increase their income through energy sales. This is an important bill that will help thousands of Minnesotans and help America move away from its dependence on foreign oil.

Recognizing Children in Military Families

April is both national poetry month and national Military Child month, so I thought it would be appropriate to hold a poetry contest for the children of military families. I want to acknowledge these children because being part of a military family sometimes isn’t easy.

With this poetry contest, I hope to not only recognize the extraordinary work of men and women serving across the world, but also their children, who sacrifice so much when a parent is called away. The winner will receive an autographed book by famed Minnesota author Garrison Keillor and the winning poems will be framed and hung in my Washington office.

To unsubscribe from these newsletters, please visit the unsubscribe page here:

http://franken.senate.gov/?p=newsletter_unsub

North Star Newsletter | May, 2012

Sen. Franken Touring the Duluth Mail Processing Center

Keeping Minnesota Post Offices Open

The Postal Service (USPS) is absolutely essential to commerce and communication in Minnesota. And local post offices are especially important to rural areas, where they are often the center of communities.

Unfortunately, because of serious budget problems, the USPS planned to close thousands of community post offices around the country—including 117 in Minnesota—and shutter five of the state's seven processing centers. Knowing this would have hurt communities throughout our state, I've spent the last several months working to prevent these closures.

I am proud to say that the final Senate bill included several provisions I put forward, which would save post offices and processing centers.

Shortly after the passage of this bill in the Senate, the Postmaster General abandoned his plan to close rural post offices, instead proposing a new plan that will keep rural post offices open at reduced hours. I'm pleased to hear that the Postmaster General heard the concerns of folks across Minnesota and decided to keep rural post offices open.

Now even thought the Postmaster General took this important step, Congress will still need to pass a final postal reform bill. And I will keep fighting to preserve postal facility jobs, restore financial stability, and make sure reliable postal service is available to all Minnesotans.

Working With Minnesota's Farmers

One out of five jobs in Minnesota depends on agriculture, so I'm very focused on the 2012 Farm Bill. My staff and I have been meeting with farmers and farm leaders across Minnesota. Two concerns I've heard about were rising energy costs, and proposed Department of Labor (DOL) regulations that would have restricted what kids could do on farms—including family farms. So when I returned to Washington, I introduced a provision to be included in the 2012 Farm Bill to improve the Rural Energy for America Program, which helps agriculture producers and businesses in rural areas invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

I also began working with the DOL to communicate the genuine concerns from Minnesota farmers, and worked to make sure that we protect our proud tradition of family farming. While I know the DOL's regulations were well intentioned, I'm happy to announce that after hearing the concerns of family famers, the DOL decided to shelve the regulations.

Helping Make College More Affordable

Students are finding it harder and harder to pay for college. Last year, Minnesota students graduated with an average of $29,000 in student loan debt, the fourth highest in the nation. And that's exactly why I've been working to help make college more affordable, and to help families understand the true cost of college.

On July 1, the interest rate on many federal student loans is set to double, affecting some 200,000 Minnesota students. I've cosponsored a bill to make sure this rate doesn't double, and will be working with my colleagues to find a solution.

But we also need to help families understand the true cost of college. Currently, students must decipher a complicated system of grants, loans, and work-study funds. So I'll be introducing a bill to create a universal financial aid award letter that would allow students to easily compare financial aid packages from different schools.

Getting your degree shouldn't make you go bankrupt. And I'll continue to work to tackle this important issue.

Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act

I was proud to support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which passed the Senate on April 26. This important, bipartisan legislation increases the number of beds and shelters that are available to women who need refuge. It provides critical support to law enforcement officers and prosecutors so they can respond more effectively to domestic violence. And it funds support services and crisis centers for victims.

I authored two bipartisan provisions in the VAWA reauthorization bill, including one to make sure that survivors of sexual assault will never again will suffer the indignity of paying for their own rape kits and another to make sure that a woman can't be evicted from federally subsidized housing just because she is a victim of domestic violence. Both of these provisions passed with bipartisan support and I look forward to them becoming law.

To unsubscribe from these newsletters, please visit the unsubscribe page here:

http://franken.senate.gov/?p=newsletter_unsub