The response from Rep. Blackburn.
[quote]Dear Mr. xxx,
What a pleasure to hear from you. Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about the right of gun owners. Hearing from constituents on issues of concern is important to me and our office as we work to represent our district.
I have taken a leadership role in protecting our Second Amendment rights my entire public life. This right is very important to me because our Founding Fathers believed that the government should not interfere with the citizen's right to keep and bear arms. Gun ownership is a distinctly American trait that is premised on the responsibility of the American people.
During the 109th Congress, I was a cosponsor of the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 5013). In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many were shocked on the blatant restrictions placed on law-abiding gun owners. Therefore, this bill prohibits any U.S. officer or employee supporting a disaster relief effort from seizing legal firearms, requiring registration of firearms, prohibiting legal possession of firearms, or prohibiting carrying a firearm from law-abiding citizens. On July 25, 2006 the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act was passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 322 - 99.
You will be pleased to know that Louisiana Senator David Vitter (R-La) introduced the Senate version of H.R.5013 as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill (H.R.5441), which passed the United States Senate by 84-16. On September 30, 2006; President Bush signed the bill, with the provisions of H.R.5013, into law.
As the discussion and debate moves forward on these and other issues please feel free to visit our website at
www.house.gov/blackburn where you can sign-up for our email update -- the Blackburn Report, updates on important issues; find information on constituent services; read columns, recent press and the latest legislative news; all of which affect and concern the people of Tennessee.
Sincerely,
Marsha Blackburn
Member of Congress
MB:i3 rb
[/quote]