Open Letter To President Obama

[RRP]

I received the following letter via email. It was written by Alan Korwin, author, publisher, and proprietor of www.gunlaws.com . What are your thoughts on his suggestions?
__________

Alan Korwin, Publisher
Bloomfield Press
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440
Scottsdale, AZ 85254

President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, D.C.



June 19, 2016



An open letter to the President of the United States

Re: Increasingly common public slaughter


Dear Mr. Obama,

I agree with your recent remarks -- it's terrifying to have all these shootings. I want it to stop as much as you or anyone. And I share your frustration in seeing nothing get done.

What I don't understand is why you keep trying to do the same things and get blocked.

You know that those plans will meet with fierce resistance. Instead, try something that the community at large might accept, and finally move us ahead. Work both sides.

Stop harping about background checks, with the now tired litany about how it's so reasonable, yet you can't even get that.

Well, OK, you can't. It's time to accept that. But you don't seem to know why. The gun owners out here know why.

The shootings would not have been stopped by background checks.

It's the wrong answer to the problem.

It would have affected all of us -- and so we resist -- but it would not have "done something" about the psychotic murderers we want to stop. Let's not get into what the proposed bills really proposed, that's for another day.

So if you want to "do something" with huge grass-roots support and get it done, try promoting gun-safety training and marksmanship in schools. Watch what happens then.

Right now schools are a gaping cavern of ignorance on the subject of guns. Kids think guns are the fun blood bath they see in pop culture. Do something about that.

Work with the firearms community -- not against it. We're your constituency too. Teach gun safety and respect for arms -- like 100 million decent gun owners have -- instead of leaving the festering ignorance in place. The forbidden fruit of guns -- a word students can't even voice -- can't be helping.

Wouldn't it be nice to have the support of 100 million gun owners, instead of banging heads with us all the time? Teachers, school administrators, their unions, students, most haven't got a clue about the true role of guns in our lives and culture. Let us educate them. Let there be light.

Prominent doctors have suggested treating guns, which they too understand poorly, as germs and disease. Louis Brandeis framed it well: the best disinfectant is a little light.

Encourage gun-safety and marksmanship training for all Americans, to teach respect for this constitutionally protected property. You'll garner the significant support you seek, and do something to move a culture that has grown inured, as you have so eloquently noted, to something it should not tolerate. Get something done.

It's a good first step.

Sincerely,

Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America


Alan Korwin is the author of fourteen books, ten of them on gun law, and runs the website GunLaws.com. His company, Bloomfield Press, is the largest publisher and distributor of gun-law books in the country.

This letter was sent to more than 4,000 news outlets around the country.

[kahrseye]

Well thought out and written. +1

[jeepster09]

Good letter except his agenda is not to fix problem it is to ban guns! It will fall on deaf ears.

[Ikeo74]

My opinion: Discontinue the "FREE PASS" for juvenile Offenses, that is currently available for all kids under the age of eighteen. These are the kids that are now committing the school shootings and the other public killings. Make kids become responsible for their actions again.

[CPTKILLER]

Excellent letter.

[knkali]

My opinion: Discontinue the "FREE PASS" for juvenile Offenses, that is currently available for all kids under the age of eighteen. These are the kids that are now committing the school shootings and the other public killings. Make kids become responsible for their actions again.

Good letter. Makes sense IF you want to get into fixing the problem. The agenda is different though. As mentioned, a ban is really the goal.


The brains of these young gunners are not fully developed. Their young brains don't think like yours and mine. Did you think the way you do now when you were 16 yo? What was important to you when you were 16? Does the things you held so important then apply now with the same vigor? Were you really capable of even entertaining some of the thoughts you do now when you were 16? I know I could not have. So the chance for any sort of rehabilitation would seemingly be greater in these young minds that are not fully developed than ones that are--- a window of change is possible. This is the thrust behind juvenile punishments being lessor than those same crimes committed by adults.


Does this argument sway your thinking at all?

[downtownv]

Rules for a Tyrannical Government:
#1 Disarm the population
#2 Build a Police State

# 2 complete!

[Ikeo74]

Good letter. Makes sense IF you want to get into fixing the problem. The agenda is different though. As mentioned, a ban is really the goal.


The brains of these young gunners are not fully developed. Their young brains don't think like yours and mine. Did you think the way you do now when you were 16 yo? What was important to you when you were 16? Does the things you held so important then apply now with the same vigor? Were you really capable of even entertaining some of the thoughts you do now when you were 16? I know I could not have. So the chance for any sort of rehabilitation would seemingly be greater in these young minds that are not fully developed than ones that are--- a window of change is possible. This is the thrust behind juvenile punishments being lessor than those same crimes committed by adults.


Does this argument sway your thinking at all?

At what age did you learn "Right from Wrong"? When I was growing up we learned it well before the age of 10. If you did something against the law you had to pay the consequences for it. Todays kids are excused from learning that until 18. All wrongs are forgiven until then. I bet you yourself thought that by the age of 15 or 16 you knew everything you needed to know to be a Adult. Kids now are learning they don't have to be held responsible for breaking the law until they become 18. By that age they have already been molded into what they will become, either good or bad. I feel sorry for kids that are "ignorant" until 18.

[DavidS]

Good idea or bad idea makes no difference, the presentation of the letter is horrible. The recipient is not going to be very sympathetic to you and your suggestions if you devote half of the letter to scolding and criticizing him. Sounds a lot like a political rant and my first thought would be "round file".

[berettabone]

Good idea or bad idea makes no difference, the presentation of the letter is horrible. The recipient is not going to be very sympathetic to you and your suggestions if you devote half of the letter to scolding and criticizing him. Sounds a lot like a political rant and my first thought would be "round file".
You are correct.............this is a potus who needs you to kiss his arse, and even then, he won't listen, because he sees all, and knows all. UPOS.

[b4uqzme]

You are correct.............this is a potus who needs you to kiss his arse, and even then, he won't listen, because he sees all, and knows all. UPOS.

He's the "Messiah" right? :eek:

[muggsy]

What we have here is a malevolent liberal socialist democrat president whose only goal is to control every aspect of your life and death. He doesn't care about firearms fatalities. He wants to disarm the populous to gain total control of the populous. If he truly wanted to reduce firearms related deaths there are many things that he could do that don't involve background checks, gun registration gun bans or gun confiscation. He doesn't obey the laws of the land, because he thinks that he is above the law, but he expects you to obey the law. I think that he has another think coming.

[DavidS]

I find that mowing the grass is a great time to mull things over. I just finished four hours of mowing and a fair amount of that time was spent contemplating this thread. The end result is that I do not support the author of this letter in his attempt to make firearms part of school curriculum, especially not mandatory.
The schools need to focus on the core subjects necessary to succeed in society, the three R's so to speak. If they cannot write/read/math adequately to get a decent job, gun safety classes will only teach them how to properly handle their weapon as they try to bring home extra income from "other" sources.
Gun safety classes have never been a part of any class curriculum that I am aware of. The nearest thing is the Hunter Safety Course offered by the state fish and game departments. But these were/are not school affiliated. Why not direct efforts along the line of Hunter Safety Courses except teach gun safety instead?
I assume that all law enforcement agencies have or have access to a gun range. I would suggest local agencies set up and conduct courses in gun safety. It provides the training as well as direct contact between law enforcement and the youth.
"Asking" this POTUS to support, and getting state controlled curricula approved, to teach gun safety and marksmanship in schools is a pipe dream.
As I said before, this letter is a political rant.

[JohnR]

Good letter except his agenda is not to fix problem it is to ban guns! It will fall on deaf ears.
This.

[knkali]

I find that mowing the grass is a great time to mull things over. I just finished four hours of mowing and a fair amount of that time was spent contemplating this thread. The end result is that I do not support the author of this letter in his attempt to make firearms part of school curriculum, especially not mandatory.
The schools need to focus on the core subjects necessary to succeed in society, the three R's so to speak. If they cannot write/read/math adequately to get a decent job, gun safety classes will only teach them how to properly handle their weapon as they try to bring home extra income from "other" sources.
Gun safety classes have never been a part of any class curriculum that I am aware of. The nearest thing is the Hunter Safety Course offered by the state fish and game departments. But these were/are not school affiliated. Why not direct efforts along the line of Hunter Safety Courses except teach gun safety instead?
I assume that all law enforcement agencies have or have access to a gun range. I would suggest local agencies set up and conduct courses in gun safety. It provides the training as well as direct contact between law enforcement and the youth.
"Asking" this POTUS to support, and getting state controlled curricula approved, to teach gun safety and marksmanship in schools is a pipe dream.
As I said before, this letter is a political rant.


How about if this is incorporated into the US history curriculum? Learning about our experiment in self governance and the Constitution? Kind of makes the Constitution come alive for these kids? Does this idea soften your position at all?

[DavidS]

How about if this is incorporated into the US history curriculum? Learning about our experiment in self governance and the Constitution? Kind of makes the Constitution come alive for these kids? Does this idea soften your position at all?

Nope. A person needs to pick his battles. This ain't one of them. It would be a total waste of time and money to lobby for any type of firearms training being added to the curriculum at this time.

[muggsy]

Since it is a common practice in the United States to send 18 year olds off to fight wars, I can think of nothing better to teach our young men and women in high school than how to shoot. Instead of raising a bunch of hoplophobic wimps we could start teaching them basic marksmanship. I believe in walking softly and carrying a big stick. I do a little lawn mowing myself. :)

[knkali]

the liability insurance for said curriculum would be unbelievably high........but the liability of not doing anything could, in a long run, be more catastrophic. It is a tough sell, I will give it that.

[tv_racin_fan]

I find that mowing the grass is a great time to mull things over. I just finished four hours of mowing and a fair amount of that time was spent contemplating this thread. The end result is that I do not support the author of this letter in his attempt to make firearms part of school curriculum, especially not mandatory.
The schools need to focus on the core subjects necessary to succeed in society, the three R's so to speak. If they cannot write/read/math adequately to get a decent job, gun safety classes will only teach them how to properly handle their weapon as they try to bring home extra income from "other" sources.
Gun safety classes have never been a part of any class curriculum that I am aware of. The nearest thing is the Hunter Safety Course offered by the state fish and game departments. But these were/are not school affiliated. Why not direct efforts along the line of Hunter Safety Courses except teach gun safety instead?
I assume that all law enforcement agencies have or have access to a gun range. I would suggest local agencies set up and conduct courses in gun safety. It provides the training as well as direct contact between law enforcement and the youth.
"Asking" this POTUS to support, and getting state controlled curricula approved, to teach gun safety and marksmanship in schools is a pipe dream.
As I said before, this letter is a political rant.

You would be wrong.

There was a time when firearm safety was taught in school. Just like we were taught what blasting caps and dynamite could look like and how to safely deal with them. "Firearm" safety of a sort is still taught in some schools. You don't let kids shoot without teaching them something about safety even if it is only a BB gun they are shooting.

Children need to learn how to deal with a firearm safely even if their parents have no interest in firearms. EVEN if they have no interest in firearms.. Children are a curious lot and when they see something they do not understand have never seen before their natural tendency is to pick it up and check it out. If you leave it outside of school the children of parents who have no interest in firearms wont get taught basic firearms safety and some children will die for lack of basic safety training.

Haven't we been told time and time again that if it will save the life of just a single child it is worth doing? Basic firearms safety WILL save the life of more than one child.

[b4uqzme]

Some people really don't believe in firearms and do not want their children anywhere near guns. While I think they are wrong, they are free to feel that way.

So we shouldn't force firearm training on anyone. That should be left in the homes of those who want their children to learn firearms safety. But we SHOULD teach them the importance of the 2nd Amendment and how firearms helped to shape our nation.

[downtownv]

Ronald Reagan Warned us about Obama and his ILK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3hY1eagq88

[Ikeo74]

Maybe it's too late to save the children. With all the violent video games, lax criminal laws, climate change, and civil unrest all around the World we could be past the point of no return.

[knkali]

Some people really don't believe in firearms and do not want their children anywhere near guns. While I think they are wrong, they are free to feel that way.

So we shouldn't force firearm training on anyone. That should be left in the homes of those who want their children to learn firearms safety. But we SHOULD teach them the importance of the 2nd Amendment and how firearms helped to shape our nation.

Give this man a cigar. Face it, guns are a part of the American culture. In the short amount of time we have been a nation, a lot of blood has been spilled. Guns did that.

[berettabone]

It is too late for this generation..................they walk around looking down at the ground, never give you eye contact, with their hoodie on, when it's 90 degrees outside. I like to call them the lost generation. Kind of like zombies. The wife teaches.....she says that parents are raising a bunch of " girlie Men"...you can't tell from a distance whether they're a boy or a girl. Very sad.........................

[tv_racin_fan]

Some people really don't believe in firearms and do not want their children anywhere near guns. While I think they are wrong, they are free to feel that way.

So we shouldn't force firearm training on anyone. That should be left in the homes of those who want their children to learn firearms safety. But we SHOULD teach them the importance of the 2nd Amendment and how firearms helped to shape our nation.

If someone doesn't teach them basic firearm safety and they shoot another child who really suffers here?

I know parents didn't want their children around blasting caps and dynamite but they sure understood the danger their children faced if they didn't understand basic safety procedures.

I think it ought to be mandatory to graduate high school just like Civics was mandatory when I went to school.

[b4uqzme]

If someone doesn't teach them basic firearm safety and they shoot another child who really suffers here?

I know parents didn't want their children around blasting caps and dynamite but they sure understood the danger their children faced if they didn't understand basic safety procedures.

I think it ought to be mandatory to graduate high school just like Civics was mandatory when I went to school.

I agree safety training is good....but.... Mandatory is the antithesis of freedom.... Even mandatory good stuff.

That's my only point.

[tv_racin_fan]

I agree safety training is good....but.... Mandatory is the antithesis of freedom.... Even mandatory good stuff.

That's my only point.

I understand your point. IF school is going to be mandatory then basic safety training ought to be a part of that mandatory school IMHO.

[muggsy]

Give this man a cigar. Face it, guns are a part of the American culture. In the short amount of time we have been a nation, a lot of blood has been spilled. Guns did that.

I believe that every able bodied citizen of this country should be required to serve a minimum of two years in our armed forces. No country ever attacked another country because they thought that country too strong. If everyone was required to serve in the military there wouldn't be an innate fear of firearms. There would be an understanding of firearms. An education is always superior to ignorance. Conscientious objectors could serve in non combat roles, but they would still receive firearms instruction.

[muggsy]

I agree safety training is good....but.... Mandatory is the antithesis of freedom.... Even mandatory good stuff.

That's my only point.

With freedom comes responsibility. If you can't be responsible for yourself you are not free. That's my only point.

[marshal kane]

I believe that every able bodied citizen of this country should be required to serve a minimum of two years in our armed forces. . .
While I like the direction you're going, IMO, two years in the military is just not long enough for the individual to be useful. In my own case, after basic training and tech school, I had almost used up my first of a four year enlistment. By the time training is completed in a two year enlistment, the individual realizes that there is slightly more than a year left and some will undoubtedly develop an attitude.


Rather than a two year enlistment, I'd like to have all high school seniors attend basic training before graduation where they would also receive remedial courses in history, civics, and the 3 Rs. This would give them a taste of the military and what it takes to defend our country. If things continue to go the direction they're going, we're going to need a lot more future soldiers.

[knkali]

I agree safety training is good....but.... Mandatory is the antithesis of freedom.... Even mandatory good stuff.

That's my only point.
Dang good point too.