The following was posted on Facebook by New Hampshire Representative, John Burt:
Below are 72 NH State Representatives and 1 Senator that signed a letter mailed to President Trump October 2nd, 2019 at high noon. The letter says NO gun control.
The Honorable President Donald J. Trump President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Trump,
As elected officials we are deeply concerned about random acts of violence and mass shootings taking place in public spaces. We’re sure that you share our concerns that while abhorrent in every respect, these criminal acts do not represent the actions and values of the vast number of law abiding American gun owners.
The real truth is that over the past several decades, Americans have benefited from a steady decline in property and violent crime rates. Criminologists rightfully attribute this decline to the expansion, during the same period of time, of private gun ownership and right to carry laws across America which enable people to take responsibility for their personal safety.
Time and time again, American history has proven that government is the problem not the solution. The US Supreme Court ruled in Bowers v. Devito, 686 F. 2d. 616, 618 (7th cir. 1982) that the police have no duty to provide protection services to citizens. Thus, citizens are on their own to defend against violent criminals and firearms are the best tool with which to do so. Americans, by their very nature are self reliant.
Some of the mass murderers have said they actually feared coming into contact with armed, law-abiding Americans as the reason they chose to attack innocent people in “gun free zones” when planning their murder sprees. The facts show that close to 98% of mass shootings over the past several decades have taken place in “gun free zones”. You even acknowledged this fact in your public remarks.
We are concerned that Congress is not concentrating on correcting the documented problem of “gun free” or criminal safe zones.
Furthermore, to make things worse, some members of Congress are floating the idea of using Federal dollars to force states to adopt so called “red flag” laws to forcibly disarm law abiding people. These proposals are gross violations of the Second, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights of American citizens.
Maryland has such a “red flag” law and in Ferndale, Maryland, a 60-year-old man was shot to death by police serving a “red flag” order. Gary Willis did what many gun owners would do when he heard people at his door at 5:17 AM – he answered the door with a firearm and was shot to death by law enforcement officers who were attempting to serve a “red flag” gun confiscation order. The order was issued after a disgruntled relative told the court that he was a danger.
Even if the gun owner survives the confiscation – she may not be able to financially survive the legal system in order to regain custody of her property.
In the states that have these so called “red flag” laws, there is no true due process because the accused does not have an opportunity to question the accuser before the firearms are taken. The orders are issued ex-parte by a judge. This creates a dangerous situation for the accused, law enforcement, and the public. We are also concerned that that “red flag” laws do not provide for those who are falsely accused to sue their accusers for knowingly misrepresenting the facts.
It is close to impossible to predict when or where these random acts of evil will occur. Therefore, it makes sense to enable the law abiding to defend themselves wherever they might be. We urge you to push congress to send H.R. 38 – The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 and H.R. 3200 – the Safe Student Act to you for your signature without any further delay. Guns – in the hands of the law abiding people save lives and these two bills have the potential to save many lives.
Instead of stripping law abiding citizens of their constitutional rights and placing them in fear with these so called “red flag” laws, let’s use this opportunity to do the right thing and make would be mass murderers fear for their safety.
Thanks for your consideration.
Very truly yours,
John A. Burt, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 39
Judy Aron, New Hampshire State Representative, Sullivan 7
Linda Rea Camarota, NH State Representative, Hillsborough 7
Kevin Craig, New Hampshire State Representative, Coös 4
Dan Davis, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 16
George Feeney, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 5
Bob Greene, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Joe Guthrie, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 13
Deb Hobson, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 35
James F. Horgan, New Hampshire State Representative, Strafford 2
Raymond J Howard, Jr, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 8
Tony Lekas, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Jody Milligan McNally, New Hampshire State Representative, Strafford 10
Vincent Paul Migliore, New Hampshire State Representative, Grafton 9
John O’Day, New Hampshire State Representative,
Cheshire 11
John M. Potucek New Hampshire State Representative,
Rockingham 6
Mark L. Proulx, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 44
Andrew Renzull, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Skip A. Rollins, New Hampshire State Representative, Sullivan 6
Paul J. Somero, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 25
Doug Thomas, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 5
Peter Varney, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 5
Scott Wallace, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 12
Mark Warden, New Hampshire State Representative Hillsborough 15
Michael Yakubovich, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 24
Alicia Lekas, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Tony Piemonte, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 4
Gates Lucas, New Hampshire State Representative, Sullivan 2
Jason Janvrin, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 37
Greg Hill, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 3
Peter Torosian, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 14
Harry Bean, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 2
Al Baldasaro, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 5
Michael Gunski, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 6
Mark Pearson, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 34
David Love, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 6
Bill Nelson, New Hampshire State Representative, Carroll 5
Mark McLean, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 44
Michael Costable, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 3
Hershel Nunez Jr. New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Jack Flanagan, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 26
Brian Seaworth, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 20
Chris True, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 4
Terry Roy, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 32
Ralph Boehm ,New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 20
Charles Burns, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 23
John Callum, New Hampshire State Representative, Sullivan 6
Alan Bershtein, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 2
Andrew Prout, ,New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Dick Marple, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 24
John Hunt, New Hampshire State Representative, Cheshire 11
Dennis Acton, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 10
Joel Desilets, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 7
Glen Aldrich, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 2
Howard Pearl, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 226
James R. Wittemore, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 37
Jp Marzullo, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 2
Kevin Pratt, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 3
Jonathan Mackie, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 2
Jason Osborne, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 4
Ed Comeau, New Hampshire State Representative, Carroll 5
Barbara Comtois, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 7
Timothy P. Lang, New Hampshire State Representative, Belknap 4
Keith Erf, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 2
Timothy Merlino, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 25
Jess Edwards, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 4
Katherine Prudhomme O’Brien, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 6
Frederick Plett, New Hampshire State Representative, Hillsborough 6
Werner D. Horn, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 2
James Spillane, New Hampshire State Representative, Rockingham 2
James Allard, New Hampshire State Representative, Merrimack 21
Harold French, New Hampshire State Senator, District 7
