In Our Country We Need to Balance
the Second Amendment 
with the Reality of our National Need
to Reduce Gun Violence in Our Streets

My Background

My background and experience with firearms is quite extensive. For details on this background, click here.

Legal Discussion

For a legal discussion on the 2nd Amendment and the commerce clause's effect on the right to bear arms, click here.

Facts Related to Gun Violence

For Firearms and Crime Statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice - click here. 

Reprint of a Bill Bradley Speech Against Gun Violence in America - Recommended Reading!

This speech is reprinted, not because I agree with each of Bill Bradley's positions, but because I believe it is a very good discussion of the need to balance the right to bear arms with the reality of our national need to reduce gun violence. Click here to view the speech in its entirety. 

My Position on the Need to Balance the 2nd Amendment Right to Bear Arms with the Reality of our National Need to Reduce Gun Violence.

We must engage in a sincere dialogue about reducing gun violence in our nation. We must embrace commonsense solutions that balance the right to bear arms with the reality of our national need to reduce gun violence. In our constitutional system, we must always balance the public safety of the people - especially children - against the rights of the individual. And in a society with over 200 million guns and thirteen children a day killed by them, I believe that the government has a legitimate interest in regulating guns. 

That means we can decide who is safe to entrust with a gun, what kinds of guns may be manufactured or sold, and how those guns can be distributed. It means we can pursue a goal of making our country safer from gun violence by applying principles like making guns safer, regulating the distribution of them more carefully, making owners more responsible, and giving police greater abilities to stop gun violence.

It also means that if you use your gun responsibly, store it safely and use it lawfully - then your rights under the Second Amendment will continue to be protected.

• My Support For Responsible Use and Licensing
  I believe those of us in America who choose to bear arms  have a responsibility to engage in the responsible use and possession of those firearms.  For this reason I will support sensible licensing legislation that requires Americans to demonstrate their responsibility before using, owning or possessing any firearm. Upon demonstrating responsibility as required by each state, they  would receive a state issued photo gun license. I also support denying, suspending or withdrawing licenses in order to keep guns out of the hands of untrained children, violent criminals and those mentally unbalanced people who could be dangerous..

• My Support For Instant checks prior to purchase
  I support instant checks or, if unavailable, reasonable waiting periods necessary to conduct background checks to determine proper licensing prior to the purchase of any firearm. I also support the funding necessary to establish a valid national system of instant checks.

• My Support for Other Measures
  

  • Support the current ban on assault weapons.
  • Prohibit juveniles from possessing assault weapons.
  • Ban imports of high-capacity ammunition clips.
  • Raise the minimum age for possessing a handgun from 18 to 21.
  • Require that trigger locks be sold with handguns.

  Note: Both Presidential candidates Bush and Gore support these other measures.

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