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January 24, 2013
Thank you for contacting me to express your thoughts about ways to reduce gun violence and your concerns about reinstating the ban on military-style assault weapons. I appreciate hearing from you about this matter.
Let me begin by saying that I mourn the horrific loss of life at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the wake of the December 14, 2012 shooting. As parents of two sons, my wife Martha and I can only imagine the pain that these families are going through. Our thoughts and prayers will remain with them and with the victims of other shootings that have occurred and reoccurred across the country.
Since the Sandy Hook shooting, more than 900 Americans lost their lives from gun violence and more will continue to die each day that we do nothing. While no single change in the law will bring closure to these grieving families or completely prevent future violence, we have a duty to examine the facts, hear from a wide spectrum of experts and try to reach a consensus on ways to reduce gun violence. Trying to develop a consensus on this issue has been difficult and elusive, but that can no longer be an excuse for inaction.
As you may know, I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, and I believe that law-abiding citizens have the right to bear and own arms. I have a long family history with firearms. My ancestors were craftsmen who developed a firearm known as the Carper rifle 150 years ago in West Virginia. My father was an avid outdoorsman and gun collector. When I was young, he taught me to hunt and fish in the hills of West Virginia. I'm a gun owner and have taken my sons trap shooting as part of their introduction to firearms training in the Boy Scouts.
My family also has a great deal of admiration for law enforcement personnel. My father worked most of his life as a claims adjuster for Nationwide Insurance, and he had the opportunity to interact with law enforcement officers throughout his career in the insurance industry. During that time, he gained a great deal of respect for those men and women who were willing to risk their lives every day for their fellow citizens. Having an appreciation for law enforcement is just one of my father's values that I carry with me to this day. Just as importantly, my father taught me to use common sense in all aspects of my life, and I believe this credo should be followed when debating gun control legislation as well.
On December 19, 2012, President Barack Obama tapped Vice President Joe Biden to lead a task force that would get the facts and come up with some common sense ways to reduce gun violence. Over several weeks, Vice President Biden met with various stakeholders—victims of gun violence, law enforcement, mayors and governors, sportsmen and hunters, educators, mental health experts, the video game and movie industries, and the leadership of the National Rifle Association—and compiled a list of recommendations to address this issue.
On January 16, 2013, President Obama unveiled these recommendations, some of which would be achieved through executive action and others that would require Congressional approval. For example, the President put forward a proposal to eliminate the loopholes in the current background check system. Over the years, just about everyone I've spoken with agrees that keeping weapons out of the hands of criminals is the right thing to do, and strengthening background checks is a sensible way to do it. The President also recommended looking at reinstituting the ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that have been used all too often in mass shootings and strengthening the ban on armor-piercing bullets. Many of these weapons were intended for the battlefields of war, not our neighborhoods, and I believe that we're long overdue to revisit this matter in the halls of Congress. While these recommendations meet the common sense threshold, they also adhere to the Second Amendment. To view President Obama's proposal, please visit the following link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/wh_now_is_the_time_full.pdf I also believe that stricter gun control isn't the only solution and I am encouraged that President Obama's recommendations take a comprehensive approach. Helping people get the mental health treatment they need, making sure cops have the resources they need to prevent gun crimes, and improving school safety must continue to be part of this ongoing conversation. In fact, as Delaware's governor, I implemented the School Resource Officer Program to protect students and address juvenile delinquency and drug abuse. I am pleased that Governor Jack Markell (D-DE) has continued to build on this program, and on September 10, 2012, he signed into law SB 233, the Omnibus School Safety Act. This legislation creates a formal statewide framework for school safety plans and requires the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security to work with schools, districts and first responders to develop up-to-date safety plans for Delaware's 219 public schools.
Should the Senate consider measures of legislation in the coming weeks, I expect my colleagues to do what is right—to put partisan politics aside—and focus on real solutions to gun violence. I stand ready to work with the President and my Senate colleagues to help strengthen our laws to help prevent future tragedies, like those in Newtown, Connecticut, Aurora, Colorado, and others before from happening again.
Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind should I have an opportunity to consider measures of gun control legislation in the future. Thank you again for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or other matters of importance to you.
Sincerely,
Tom Carper
United States Senator
