More bull$#it (am I allowed to say that) from the House of Representatives

I am now registered to vote in St Petersburg, Florida, and I got this from my congressman.   Nothing he proposes here would have saved the lives of the innocents who died in Parkland or Orlando, or Newtown or even Las Vegas.   Just because of this I'm going to volunteer as a Democratic Party Block Captain to get him out in 2018.   


From Congressman John Curtis

During the last 24 hours, many have spoken out on the violent shooting that left 17 dead. For me, I have used this time for deep reflection and soul searching. I have not been ready to issue a statement because like many of you, I’ve grown weary of the inaction we have seen after our communities witness horrific events, like what has taken place in Parkland, Florida this week.  Although I think offering condolences and prayers for the victims and their families is appropriate, I keep asking myself what I would expect from my elected leaders if that was one of my children or grandchildren killed? As a supporter and protector of the Second Amendment, I call on my friends and associates to show leadership and to not retreat. We understand firearms and are the most qualified to bring answers forward. We can and must provide solutions that both honor Second Amendment rights and protect our neighborhoods and schools. We need to start somewhere. I mean really start. We are sad, hurt, angry and frustrated. So, let’s use this as our motivation to focus in on solutions. Not just feel good solutions, but real answers that truly address the problem. To me, that means looking at mental illness, school security, warning signs, and, yes, even who can access firearms. Below I’ve outlined four steps that I have and will continue to support immediately:

  1. We must properly enforce gun laws and regulations currently on the books—every single time.  Additionally, the Senate should follow our lead in the House and pass the Fix NICS Act, which, with my support, passed the House on December 6, 2017.  This important legislation enforces current background check laws by applying penalties to government agencies for not reporting information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
  2. We must outlaw any other device that converts a legal weapon into an illegal weapon.
  3. Congress must pass legislation that provides further resources to help law enforcement, teachers, and administrators identify warning signs.  For this purpose, I have cosponsored H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act of 2018.  This legislation reauthorizes a grant program for school security and specifically focuses on training schools and communities to identify warning signs and to intervene before a shooting takes place.
  4. We need to take a comprehensive look at school security and we must dedicate more resources to protect our schools with the same level of commitment that we use to protect our celebrities, elected officials, and airports.

Let there be no doubt – I’m an advocate for American’s constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. I’ve spent much of my professional life helping law enforcement through building training facilities, and I’ve even lectured for the NRA. I’m a gun owner and I would never give that gun up. But that said, it’s time for Congress to find our voice and do the right thing. 

I want to respond and tell him he's full of $hit.  What would you say. 



By all means, write, call or better yet, visit.

Submit a list of what needs to be done as opposed to what was proposed. What is his N.R.A. score "report card.?" If it is anything else but "F," write this in a letter to the newspaper. Also, picket his office with signs that reflect his votes and the amount of blood money he received from the N.R.A.


That's a lot of work and I hope you are up for it. You may get parents and other Dem. committee members to help with this.


Good luck.


It gets more interesting. The N.R.A. website for political action does not publicize the endorsements  or grades of the people they support. There are however, names of local volunteers who will coordinate efforts to elect candidates. Maybe pressure can be put on those volunteer dupes for the gun industry.


The NRA has 5 million members. We need to organize 5 million +1 people, join the NRA and take it over.



sarahzm said:

I am now registered to vote in St Petersburg, Florida, and I got this from my congressman.   Nothing he proposes here would have saved the lives of the innocents who died in Parkland or Orlando, or Newtown or even Las Vegas.   Just because of this I'm going to volunteer as a Democratic Party Block Captain to get him out in 2018.   




From Congressman John Curtis

I'm confused. I Googled Congressman John Curtis and it said he was from Utah. I'll check again


Sarah,

Are you in District 19, where Curtis used to be the Congressperson?

There are two candidates in the Democratic Primary.

I was fairly impressed by this guy's statements about National Security and Immigration. http://todd-james-truax.ruck.us/





drummerboy said:

The NRA has 5 million members. We need to organize 5 million +1 people, join the NRA and take it over.

I've read in a couple different places that it's not so much NRA money that sways politicians but that second-amendment supporters (the extremists) are organized and very reliable voters, oftentimes the only ones who show up for non-presidential and local elections, and they vote according to NRA score. That's what we need to compete with.



kthnry said:



drummerboy said:

The NRA has 5 million members. We need to organize 5 million +1 people, join the NRA and take it over.

I've read in a couple different places that it's not so much NRA money that sways politicians but that second-amendment supporters (the extremists) are organized and very reliable voters, oftentimes the only ones who show up for non-presidential and local elections, and they vote according to NRA score. That's what we need to compete with.

It ain't about the 5 million members voting. That's 5 million nationwide. That number doesn't win elections when 150 million vote.

Its about the N.R.A. giving money to politicians who support gun slinging. Those politicians use the money to print and broadcast anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-union positions and the rubes buy into it.



you're both right. NRA members are reportedly very high turnout voters, and the NRA frequently mobilizes them in statewide elections to elect the pro-gun guy. And of course, the contributions play a huge part.

To me, the propaganda aspects of the NRA are the most pernicious though, because it's through that they've convinced a significant portion of America that the liberals are constantly coming to confiscate their guns, and that any attempt to limit gun ownership is just the first step to confiscation. They've created the poisonous gun culture that breeds our mass murderers.




sarahzm said:

I am now registered to vote in St Petersburg, Florida, and I got this from my congressman.   Nothing he proposes here would have saved the lives of the innocents who died in Parkland or Orlando, or Newtown or even Las Vegas.   Just because of this I'm going to volunteer as a Democratic Party Block Captain to get him out in 2018.   

From Congressman John Curtis
During the last 24 hours, many have spoken out on the violent shooting that left 17 dead. For me, I have used this time for deep reflection and soul searching. I have not been ready to issue a statement because like many of you, I’ve grown weary of the inaction we have seen after our communities witness horrific events, like what has taken place in Parkland, Florida this week.  Although I think offering condolences and prayers for the victims and their families is appropriate, I keep asking myself what I would expect from my elected leaders if that was one of my children or grandchildren killed? As a supporter and protector of the Second Amendment, I call on my friends and associates to show leadership and to not retreat. We understand firearms and are the most qualified to bring answers forward. We can and must provide solutions that both honor Second Amendment rights and protect our neighborhoods and schools. We need to start somewhere. I mean really start. We are sad, hurt, angry and frustrated. So, let’s use this as our motivation to focus in on solutions. Not just feel good solutions, but real answers that truly address the problem. To me, that means looking at mental illness, school security, warning signs, and, yes, even who can access firearms. Below I’ve outlined four steps that I have and will continue to support immediately:
  1. We must properly enforce gun laws and regulations currently on the books—every single time.  Additionally, the Senate should follow our lead in the House and pass the Fix NICS Act, which, with my support, passed the House on December 6, 2017.  This important legislation enforces current background check laws by applying penalties to government agencies for not reporting information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
  2. We must outlaw any other device that converts a legal weapon into an illegal weapon.
  3. Congress must pass legislation that provides further resources to help law enforcement, teachers, and administrators identify warning signs.  For this purpose, I have cosponsored H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act of 2018.  This legislation reauthorizes a grant program for school security and specifically focuses on training schools and communities to identify warning signs and to intervene before a shooting takes place.
  4. We need to take a comprehensive look at school security and we must dedicate more resources to protect our schools with the same level of commitment that we use to protect our celebrities, elected officials, and airports.

Let there be no doubt – I’m an advocate for American’s constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. I’ve spent much of my professional life helping law enforcement through building training facilities, and I’ve even lectured for the NRA. I’m a gun owner and I would never give that gun up. But that said, it’s time for Congress to find our voice and do the right thing. 

I want to respond and tell him he's full of $hit.  What would you say. 

Not sure who John Curtis is.  Could you have been the victim of a spoofed letter?

Based on the fact that the author of the letter claimed to be the co-sponsor of H.R. 4909  (the STOP School Violence Act of 2018), it would seem to have been written by John Rutherford, a Republican Congressperson who represents the 4th Congressional District which is the Jacksonville, Florida area.  https://rutherford.house.gov/about/our-district .   It is on the opposite side of the state from St. Petersburg.  Rutherford is an avowed proponent of gun ownership and supports legislation that expands the rights of gun owners.

St. Petersburg, where you are registered, is generally considered to be a more progressive area and is located in the 13th Congressional District. The 13th is represented by Charlie Crist, the former governor of Florida.  https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/FL/13.    Crist won the Florida governorship as a Republican, unsuccessfully ran for a Senate term as an independent, and is now serving in Washington as a Democrat.  Although he supports the second amendment, Crist is considered to be somewhat of a moderate on gun ownership (he supports limits) who has had an uneasy relationship with the NRA which gave him a rating of "D" a few years ago...although his rating wavers.  On February 15th, he posted the following on his Facebook page:  [ https://www.facebook.com/charliecrist/ ]

What happened yesterday in Broward County was horrific.

My heart, thoughts, prayers, and actions go out to every family, first responder, student, teacher, and the entire community reeling with pain, grief, and anger.

We can, and must, do more. Because while horrific, it's no longer okay to pretend it's unimaginable.

It's no longer okay to pretend there are no ways to prevent mass casualties.

We can and must ban semi-automatic, military-style weapons.

We can and must limit high-capacity magazines.

We can and must require tougher background checks.

We can and must invest more in our school security and counseling services.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, many people may say it's too soon to have this debate. But I believe for too many, it's too late.

We have solutions. We must now act




John Curtis represents the Third District in Utah, which includes Provo and Orem. That statement was a press release he issued on Friday.


Dave,

Thanks for clearing that up. The mix-up probably was because the former Congressperson from the Florida area had the same last name.



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