I would like to take a moment to clarify some facts that Karl Kaufman got wrong in his letter published on April 17. First off, there are not 300,000 concealed carry holders, that number is the total number of permits issued since 2003.
Since these permits are required to be renewed this number includes the renewed permits. The number of active permits in Minnesota is about 96,000, less than a third of what Kaufman asserts.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: We need to protect the Second Amendment The following is a letter to the editor submitted to the Bemidji Pioneer by a reader. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bemidji Pioneer. To submit a letter, email letters@bemidjipioneer.com or mail it to Bemidji Pioneer, P.O. Box 455, Bemidji, MN 56601.
The same is true of his hunting figures. Pew Research shows roughly 70,000 Minnesota residents hunt, this number aligns with numbers seen by Minnesota DNR reports. The reality is that there are roughly 100,000 legally obtained guns in Minn., a far cry from his numbers.
Why does that matter? Truth. His numbers are incorrect and so is his assertion that your Second Amendment rights are under siege.
Both the federal and supreme courts have ruled a number of times that for a gun to be protected it must have a legal use, and have ruled that weapons of war and assault weapons are not protected under the Second Amendment.
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The only laws under consideration for gun control are common sense background checks and assault weapon bans. All the rest of this is just right-wing hype.
Truth matters and the hype about the Second Amendment is to drive up donations to the NRA and sell guns. If you want to talk about reality, the reality is that the NRA is under investigation for fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds all the while attempting to declare bankruptcy.
Wayne Lapierre has been forced to return more than 300,000 dollars or face charges and has been forced to take shelter on a 108-foot yacht after the number of shootings this year. The Irony is that it makes it obvious that Lapierre doesn’t buy the gun for the protection line he sells.
If you are afraid the government is going to take your guns, you have probably been duped by a group of millionaires looking to get their hands on your money.
The truth is that if anyone had wanted to take your guns they would be gone by now. Meanwhile, people are dying in the street because some rich guys want to line their pockets. It is time to come out of the right-wing delusions and stop substituting someone else’s brain for your own, start thinking critically about the world around you.
