Math, literature, voting

[wjackcooper]

Continuing to inundate MD politicians and newspapers with authoritative math and literature can do our cause no harm. For sure, not emailing and not voting is of no help and probably is counter productive.

This is one of several replies showing that emailing and voting are important:

Dear Jack,

I really appreciate you keeping me informed. My greatest hope is that SB281 will result in those that are opposed to this "gun safety law" becoming registered to vote and then voting in an informed way.

Keep those emails coming my way.

Kind regards,

Kathy
Delegate Kathy Szeliga
Minority Whip, Maryland House of Delegates
District 7 - Baltimore & Harford County
6 Bladen Street, Room 212
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3698; FAX 410-841-3023
Delegate.K.Szeliga@house.state.md.us


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(The above is in response to the following email which was sent to all state level politicians and most MD newspapers.)

Original Message,

Subject, Maryland State Police firearms numbers:

The net result (shown below*) of the latest gun "safety" law (effective 10/1/2013) is an ongoing massive increase (tens of thousands) in the number of guns that are in circulation in MD.

Each year hundreds of drug related murders are committed in urban areas. Shame on those politicians who lack the courage to address this real problem and profess "common sense" . . . while enacting gun laws that no unbiased study (utilizing scientific research methodology**) has shown can be effective. Measured by the goals of its proponents, the new law has already proved to be grossly counterproductive.

What politicians with "common sense" would focus on is the immense issue of inner city poverty and the consequent high crime rate among young men who lives are ruled by a street cred.

Regards
Jack Cooper

*From MSP, Firearms Registration Sections: Status as of 11/28/2013

Currently Processing Initial Reviews From: 8/13/13 Applications Received: 119,439
Currently Processing Secondary Reviews From: 8/8/13 Current Backlog: 42,600
Date Updated: 11/28/13 Applications Processed: 76,527

Maryland State Police,
Licensing Division Advisory: www.mdsp.org/Organization/.../LicensingDivision.aspx (It may be necessary to copy and paste this link into your browser if you wish to view the web page.)

**Among studies, meeting scientific standards, are those that: have exacting protocols, include sufficient subjects, have control groups, are repeatable, are published and are peer reviewed in an authoritative publication.

 

[abean4187]

Always good to write letters and people should be doing it more often. At least once a month.

I always wonder if our representatives read them though. Out of my 4 local reps, I’ve only ever gotten a response back from 2 of them. And this is with me even congratulating them on things they did that I liked. I can understand ignoring angry emails but when they won’t even respond to positive ones I start to worry.

 

[Mr H]

IMPORTANT NOTE:

When writing to your critters, be sure to sign your message the same way your voter registration card is printed. Signing "Bob Smith" will do you no good if you're listed as "Robert T. Smith, III"

What's that? Some people might not be registered???

Well, then DO IT!!!

 

[wjackcooper]

Referencing math and literature appears to generate personal, as opposed to canned, replies. Two unimpeachable sources supporting for our position are:

(1) From the Center for Disease Control report (requested by President Obama) released in June of 2013, after a review of 195 references, "[w]hether gun restrictions reduce firearm-related violence is an unresolved issue." (For the complete report: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18319). Copy and paste this link into your browser for viewing.

(2) From the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, at page 654, Vol. 30, "In 2004, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released its evaluation from a review of 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, and some original empirical research. It failed to identify any gun control that had reduced violent crime, suicide, or gun accidents. It is perhaps not amiss to note that the review panel, which was set up during the Clinton Administration, was composed almost entirely of scholars who, to the extent their views were publicly known before their appointments, favored gun control." (For the complete report: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf). Copy and paste this link into your browser for viewing,

These compressive reviews, initiated by the Obama and Clinton Administrations, conducted by two prestigious institutions, produced no finding that any "gun [restriction]" or "any gun control" lessened what is emotionally and erroneously characterized as "gun violence."

Included among objectives for now, it seems to me, ought to be keeping this fact and these reports in front of the all of the legislators.

Probably some wish to remain anonymous, for personal reasons, when communicating with politicians.

Regards
Jack

 

[wjackcooper]

Sent the following to all legislators, plus the AG's Civil Rights Assistant, several days ago . . . not a single canned or personal reply:

Subject Racism,

Unlike in 41 other states, those who have power in Maryland have not in the past, do not now, and probably will not ever trust law-abiding, urban, African Americans with firearms. Gun control started before and was reinforced after the civil war because of racism. To a large extent it still is, albeit characterized as "safety," about racism*. . . pure and simple.

Regards
Jack Cooper

*"There’s a direct correlation between gun control and black people control,” Stacy Swimp, President and CFO of the Frederick Douglass Society, speaking at a press conference on Feb. 22, 2013 in Washington, D.C. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/fre...ect-correlation-between-gun-control-and-black . For a comprehensive review of the historical record . .. see Justice Thomas's concurring opinion in McDonald et al. v. City of Chicago, Illinois, et al. 561 U.S. 3025 (2010). In order to view the supporting material it may be necessary to copy and paste these references into your browser.

 

[osterizer]

(1) From the Center for Disease Control report (requested by President Obama) released in June of 2013, after a review of 195 references, "[w]hether gun restrictions reduce firearm-related violence is an unresolved issue." (For the complete report: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18319). Copy and paste this link into your browser for viewing.

It's interesting to note that, in this report, it specifically points out that no comprehensive database of gun ownership in the US exists. It suggests that it will be very difficult to put any research in context as the overall distributions aren't available, making any statistic iffy. Regardless, we can be sure that any statistics will be manipulated and then cherry-picked to support any number of activist viewpoints, the same as in the global warming arguments.

 

[QuebecoisWolf]

It's interesting to note that, in this report, it specifically points out that no comprehensive database of gun ownership in the US exists. It suggests that it will be very difficult to put any research in context as the overall distributions aren't available, making any statistic iffy. Regardless, we can be sure that any statistics will be manipulated and then cherry-picked to support any number of activist viewpoints, the same as in the global warming arguments.

The gun control response to this issue tends to be: "this is exactly why we need registration!"

 

[osterizer]

The gun control response to this issue tends to be: "this is exactly why we need registration!"

yup.

 

[wjackcooper]

Sent to all of the legislators, so far only canned replies.

Subject: "Gun violence"

As you probably know, among the many comprehensive evaluations of "gun related violence" are one initiated by the Obama Administration, another by the Clinton Administration and still another published in the Harvard Journal of law and Public Policy:

From the Center for Disease Control report (requested by President Obama) released in June of 2013, after a review of 195 references, "[w]hether gun restrictions reduce firearm-related violence is an unresolved issue." http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18319

From the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, at page 654, Vol. 30, "In 2004, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released its evaluation http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309091241 from a review of 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications and some original empirical research. It failed to identify any gun control that had reduced violent crime, suicide, or gun accidents. It is perhaps not amiss to note that the review panel, which was set up during the Clinton Administration, was composed almost entirely of scholars who, to the extent their views were publicly known before their appointments, favored gun control." http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf

No "gun [restriction]" or "control" has been "[identified]" that has lessened what some, passionately and mistakenly, claim is "gun violence." Those who support more gun "restrictions" and "controls" need to produce credible, higher authority refuting the conclusions reached by the referenced sources.

Some say that expecting unworkable methods to yield wished for results is a product of delusional thinking.

Regards
Jack Cooper

* It may be necessary to copy and paste the links into your browser for viewing.

 

[hodgepodge]

Excellent, Jack!

 

[wjackcooper]

Sent to all of the legislators:

"Subject: Interesting article"
http://www.marottaonmoney.com/am-i-safer-if-my-neighbor-has-a-gun/.

One of 3 personal replies:

"We aren't learning from history, are we?
Great article, thank you and keep 'em coming my way.
I appreciate it!
Kind regards,
Kathy"
Delegate Kathy Szeliga
District 7 - Baltimore & Harford County
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Delegate Szeliga, it seems fair to say, completely understands gun issues. Given her rank (Minority Whip) she may produce total, or nearly total, Republican support for our position. Now to see if 2A Tuesday, persuasion and DINO (member since 1962) will impact a select few who might, in some circumstances, tip the balance.

In any event, now may well be the right time to start an email, U. S. mail and phone barrage.

Worst case scenario: We comfort our friends, moderate the zeal of our adversaries and fail to actually influence any outcome.

Regards
Jack

 

[Mr H]

Good for you, Jack.

Thanks for getting involved!

Realistically, we've needed people to start bending ears for some time, but it's never too late to start!!

 

[wjackcooper]

Been "[involved]" since 1962, welcome to the battle! Regards, Jack

 

[Mr H]

Been "[involved]" since 1962, welcome to the battle! Regards, Jack

LOL...

I meant as it related to this session!

I suspected you'd been at this a while... but didn't think it was since the year I was born!!!!

 

[wjackcooper]

Sent to all legislators:

"A salute to Chief Craig who has not refused to learn and who is changing his opinions based on his vast experience."

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...eter-crime?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

One Response among others:

"Thank you. Good to see people are getting a better understanding."
Delegate Arentz
Republican, District 36, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Math and/or literature, plus a few personal remarks, tend to generate at least a few responses indicating the email was read.

Does anyone have a reliable estimate (or actual number) and quotable source re long guns sold in MD in during 2013?

Regards
Jack

 

[tkd4life]

While I'm not saying that you shouldn't write letters or email your representatives, I found its a completely useless exercise. I have a state senator and a state delegate in the family and around the time SB281 was in the voting process I emailed them both and called them (their office) twice a week to see how they were voting. I never received an email back from them and around the holiday season I asked both if they had heard anything from me about the bill. Their staff never passed on ANY thing I was saying. They had no idea what I was talking about. I guess I should have been calling their personal cell phones.

Then right around the time we were knee deep in giving weapons to the terrorists in Syria fighting their civil war. I write Steny Hoyer (my rep) about how F’ed up it was that I was getting furloughed as a federal employee yet we somehow found the funding necessary to provide weapons to the SAME people that were trying to kill me in Iraq five years earlier. I did get an email back from him, but it was a form letter about how he cares about federal employees and that sequestration was the republicans fault.

I mean write all you want, but I have found that our form of democracy is an illusion. They don’t give a shit what you think, and they don’t care how you feel. You can give them all the data in the world, but at the end of the day they are going to do what their political “leaders”, and donors tell them to do. You buck the DNC or RNC and you lose your job.

 

[Mr H]

While I'm not saying that you shouldn't write letters or email your representatives, I found its a completely useless exercise. I have a state senator and a state delegate in the family and around the time SB281 was in the voting process I emailed them both and called them (their office) twice a week to see how they were voting. I never received an email back from them and around the holiday season I asked both if they had heard anything from me about the bill. Their staff never passed on ANY thing I was saying. They had no idea what I was talking about. I guess I should have been calling their personal cell phones.

Then right around the time we were knee deep in giving weapons to the terrorists in Syria fighting their civil war. I write Steny Hoyer (my rep) about how F’ed up it was that I was getting furloughed as a federal employee yet we somehow found the funding necessary to provide weapons to the SAME people that were trying to kill me in Iraq five years earlier. I did get an email back from him, but it was a form letter about how he cares about federal employees and that sequestration was the republicans fault.

I mean write all you want, but I have found that our form of democracy is an illusion. They don’t give a shit what you think, and they don’t care how you feel. You can give them all the data in the world, but at the end of the day they are going to do what their political “leaders”, and donors tell them to do. You buck the DNC or RNC and you lose your job.

I won't say you're completely wrong, but I also won't say it's completely useless.

I find that I generally only get back correspondence from those who are in agreement. This is why I've been beating the "get to Annapolis as often as you can" drum for this session.

The fact that we had a presence last year (particularly on 2/6, 3/1 and 4/4) did, as I'm hearing it, shrink some sphincters.

If they are seeing different faces, continually, and a few larger gatherings at key times, we have a much better chance of changing some votes.

 

[wjackcooper]

Your opinions are appreciated. Reasonable people, based on personal experience, often reach different conclusions.

My impression, on the contrary, is that last years email, U.S. mail, phone calls, personal and group appearances, as well as individual statements before committees each had a significance influence on last years outcome. Which of these was of greater importance it is not possible (in the absence of empirical as opposed to anecdotal evidence) with any assured degree of certainty to say, or so it seems to me. A guess is that each in some substantial part supported the other. At any rate . . . whatever the relative merits of our respective opinions, see post number eleven above for what appears (confirmed somewhat by personal responses) to me to be the worst-case scenario.

For now . . . that it is not very likely Delegate Szeliga would deliberately encourage ("keep 'em coming") ineffective activity is enough to know.

Sent to all MD Legislators and some newspaper columnists:

"The latest authoritative study of gun related legislation confirms what previous studies (including those conducted under the Obama (2013) and Clinton (2004) administrations) show:

Journal, Applied Economics Letters Volume 21, Issue 4, 2014
An examination of the effects of concealed weapons laws and assault weapons bans on state-level murder rates,
Mark Gaius, PhD., Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504851.2013.854294#.UsWoRdJDvSs

It may be necessary to copy and paste the link into your browser to view the article."

Two personal responses:

"While Senator Young [Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee] remains a strong advocate for the constitutional right to bear arms, regulations exist so that this right it not infringed on the rights of individuals safety. While the right to bear arms protects liberty in certain ways, it may impede it in others. Currently, within the 2014 legislative session, there are no bills which the Senator would like to comment on and there is no desire to repeal current regulations at this time. Constituent Aide "

"On behalf of Senator Jacobs, [Judicial Proceedings Committee]thank you for forwarding this information to her. It is very much appreciated having so many eyes looking out for important documentation to help fight the threats against our 2nd Amendment rights. Sincerely, Cynthia W. Titus Legislative Aide"

Sent to all MD Legislators:

"HB 21 would make failing to obey the instructions given by a 9-1-1 operator a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in prison and/or a fine of up to $2,500. Absolutely absurd!"

One personal response:

"I heard about this on the radio the other morning. Another reach into people's lives. I can't believe it. I need to stop being so surprised by this types of bills. Kathy Szeliga." {Minority Whip]

Wonder if this thread can be refocused on effective methods of using email?

Regards
Jack