The heart of a true American is based on the greatly crafted Constitution by our country's founders, with the First and Second Amendments guaranteeing foremost, free speech and the right to bear arms.
Today our Congress is moving forward with efforts to thwart the right to bear arms and severely limit ownership of firearms. These firearms are used for sport and self-defense and have been doing so since the writing of the Constitution.
During the past year, nine million new gun owners purchased firearms, with the majority purchased for self-defense, given the civil unrest and changes in law enforcement funding.
It should be highly noted that we have background checks and laws in place to prevent and penalize criminals for firearm crimes, however, these laws are not being enforced by judges in our courts.
RELATED: Read more letters to the editor
ADVERTISEMENT
Minnesota has over 500,000 hunters and over 350,000 concealed carry permit holders. The majority of these people own a firearm that would become illegal due to what has been deemed to have a magazine of more than 10 shots. This would include semi-automatic pistols, squirrel rifles, deer rifles, varmint rifles and many semi-automatic shotguns for pheasant hunting, duck hunting and more.
The history of aesthetics of firearms has encouraged the firearms today to be manufactured from metal and polymers, rather than wood and metal, and hence the “movie guns” have created a “bad guy” image for commonly owned firearms by hardworking, family-oriented, outdoor-loving Minnesotans.
The proposed bills in Congress and the Minnesota Legislature will turn many Minnesotans into criminals for the firearms they already own and are using within their family and friends hunting camps and privately-owned land. The design of this legislation is composed to feel good and sound good, but defies our Second Amendment rights.
It is of the utmost importance to contact our U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and speak up in opposition to the legislation. Call or email them, as our freedoms depend on it. God bless America!