[UPDATE: It should be noted that we have been deceived by Congressman Murphy in the intervening years, as he signed onto the semi-automatic ban I wrote to him in reference to below. See Congressman Murphy’s Anti-Gun record here.]
I had been wondering what my new Congress Critter’s stance on the gun issue was. I had planned to write about HR 1022 shortly, but hadn’t completed my thoughts yet. I was quite pleased when perusing the Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association to find a copy of a letter received from Congressman Patrick Murphy on the same subject. I’ll post the good bit:
Thank you for contacting me in support of maintaining the rights of gun owners. As you probably know, I personally hold a concealed-carry permit and I am a strong supporter of upholding the 2nd amendment. You can rest assured that when legislation involving gun-owner rights comes up before Congress, I will keep your thoughts in mind.
A Democratic Congressman who admits he holds a PA LTC? Congressman Murphy has overcome a big hurdle toward getting my vote. If the Republicans run a bonehead, as they are wont to do, there’s a strong likelihood I’ll be in his court come election day.
I should clarify that I still plan to write him. It helps to hear from constituents, even when they are on your side.
He didn’t actually say he would vote the way you want. He said he would remember your thoughts on the subject. He may be one of those who believe he should be armed, while others less “elite” do not.
Not saying this is true, just saying his reply left a lot of room for him to hide such motives in.
With few exceptions for either long established anti- or extremely pro-gun politicians, no letter will seal the deal on a piece of legislation that hasn’t even had a hearing, straightarrow.
Look at our own bills that have been screwed up by amendments or otherwise altered on their way to a final vote. Would you really want a politician to make a written statement absolutely condemning or endorsing a specific bill without knowing the evolutionary process? Hell, in Massachusetts, through some very slick political work, one gun group turned an AWB expansion (doing away with grandfather clause, banning more guns, removing the federal exemption list) into a pro-gun bill. If you demand immediate absolute answers from your politicians, you would have contributed to damning a positive bill in that case.
Politics is fluid. You may not like that idea, but you can’t hold it against a freshman Congressman who likely needs both the support of the Dems and to rebel against them on a few issues for a more conservative district for expressing key hints that he’s pro-gun while not taking an absolute stand on a bill that, so far, hasn’t seen the light of day.
Does Diane Feinstein admit that she holds/held a concealed carry permit?
I am not saying he will or won’t. All I am saying is he can do any damn thing he wants and truthfully say he told the truth. In other words, he gave a non-answer so that either faction could hear what they wanted.
To me that would suggest he needs a little more examination. Which can be difficult when the examinee has a short record. Ergo, it might be worthwhile to note who are his supporters and who are his detractors. For example, if Brady Bunch hate him, that would be mark in his favor and vice versa, etc.
I understand Bitter, what you are saying. I’ve been around a long time. I just didn’t know if you guys understood that he didn’t say anything while speaking.
He’s still a freshman, so he has a giant blank slate onto which he can write whatever he wants. But I am in a suburban district about six miles north of the City of Philadelphia. The seat for my district has traditionally been held by the Republican Party, but the previous holder, Jim Greenwood, was no friend of gun owners and voted for the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, and indicated he would vote for renewal if it came up.
For a Congressman to admit, in this district, that he’s an LTC holder, is a big deal to me. While Pennsylvania issues more concealed carry licenses than any other state, and they are common, LTC holders tend not to reveal those kinds of things publicly in this part of the state.
So while Pat Murphy still needs to reflect his statements in his voting record, the fact that he’s telling us that is a pretty good signal he’s not going to screw us.