Open Letter to John Kline: Work to Ban Assault Weapons; Make Us Safer

Editor's note: The following is an open letter to Congressman John Kline, in response to an article Burnsville Patch ran on Dec. 19 titled: Rep. Kline Calls Newtown Tragedy 'Unthinkable;' Mum on Gun Laws.

To the editor, and Congressman Kline,

I am writing today out of deep concern for the safety of fellow citizens, as well as my family and children. I sincerely hope, in light of the recent , that you will seriously re-consider your stance on banning assault weapons. 

There is no hunting rifle that requires a magazine clip of 30 rounds. There is NO CIVILIAN who would ever need to carry that type of fire power. The hunting argument is completely absurd. I grew up in Northeastern Wisconsin. Most homes had cabinets full of guns, mine included. There were no M-16 style assault weapons needed for hunting deer.

The paranoid delusion that I will, at some point in the near future, need an automatic weapon to defend myself from my government, which NRA supporters have specifically stated in the past few days in regards to a Syrian-style civil war, is not even an argument—it’s madness. 

With all due respect, Congressman, if you follow this logic of Second Amendment supporters who are stockpiling automatic weapons in fear of “The Guvvermint” you are supporting homegrown terrorism. 

Please think carefully about your responsibility to help prevent another mass murder. This country has suffered through many multiple mass shootings in the past few decades and this must stop. These are senseless deaths and innocent lives are taken because of ... what?  Our Right to bear arms? Ask yourself in a quiet moment if you really believe that our forefathers meant for the Second Amendment to breed a culture of murder. Children are being slaughtered by the very guns the Second Amendment claims to bear witness to their protection. 

The Second Amendment was written in 1791. This is a vastly different world than 1791. The original Constitution thought that slavery was a good idea and women voting was a bad idea. It is time to re-think our allegiance to an Amendment that is outdated and destructive. The wording of the Second Amendment is being abused by special interest groups such as the NRA. 

Congressman Kline, I ask that you seriously consider a ban of assault weapons and high capacity magazines.  I am also asking that Congress look to repeal the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms  Act. This law protects gun manufacturers from any wrong-doing in the event of an execution. 

Sandy Hook elementary was the 16th mass murder of innocents in the United States in 2012. Please do your part to make this country safer. 

Julia Krause-Michelsen, Dakota County