Todd joined Cam & Company on February 21, 2013 to talk about his experiences and why he strongly opposes gun control legislation. Click on www.nranews.com. Select Viewing Guide. Select Archives. Select Feb 21 and scroll down to interview. (Link is good for a week from now.)
See also Business Insider article: Evan Todd Letter to President Obama
Read Todd's full letter, courtesy of The Blaze:
Mr. President,
As a
student who was shot and wounded during the Columbine massacre, I have a
few thoughts on the current gun debate. In regards to your gun control
initiatives:
Universal Background Checks
First, a
universal background check will have many devastating effects. It will
arguably have the opposite impact of what you propose. If adopted,
criminals will know that they can not pass a background check legally,
so they will resort to other avenues. With the conditions being set by
this initiative, it will create a large black market for weapons and
will support more criminal activity and funnel additional money into the
hands of thugs, criminals, and people who will do harm to American
citizens.
Second,
universal background checks will create a huge bureaucracy that will
cost an enormous amount of tax payers dollars and will straddle us with
more debt. We cannot afford it now, let alone create another function of
government that will have a huge monthly bill attached to it.
Third, is a
universal background check system possible without universal gun
registration? If so, please define it for us. Universal registration can
easily be used for universal confiscation. I am not at all implying
that you, sir, would try such a measure, but we do need to think about
our actions through the lens of time.
It is not
impossible to think that a tyrant, to the likes of Mao, Castro, Che,
Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and others, could possibly rise to power in
America. It could be five, ten, twenty, or one hundred years from now —
but future generations have the natural right to protect themselves from
tyrannical government just as much as we currently do. It is safe to
assume that this liberty that our forefathers secured has been a thorn
in the side of would-be tyrants ever since the Second Amendment was
adopted.
Ban on Military-Style Assault Weapons
The
evidence is very clear pertaining to the inadequacies of the assault
weapons ban. It had little to no effect when it was in place from 1994
until 2004. It was during this time that I personally witnessed two
fellow students murder twelve of my classmates and one teacher. The
assault weapons ban did not deter these two murderers, nor did the other
thirty-something laws that they broke.
Gun
ownership is at an all time high. And although tragedies like Columbine
and Newtown are exploited by ideologues and special-interest lobbying
groups, crime is at an all time low. The people have spoken. Gun store
shelves have been emptied. Gun shows are breaking attendance records.
Gun manufacturers are sold out and back ordered. Shortages on ammo and
firearms are countrywide. The American people have spoken and are
telling you that our Second Amendment shall not be infringed.
10-Round Limit for Magazines
Virginia
Tech was the site of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
Seung-Hui Cho used two of the smallest caliber hand guns manufactured
and a handful of ten round magazines. There are no substantial facts
that prove that limited magazines would make any difference at all.
Second, this is just another law that endangers law-abiding citizens. I’ve heard you ask, “why does someone need 30 bullets to kill a deer?”
Second, this is just another law that endangers law-abiding citizens. I’ve heard you ask, “why does someone need 30 bullets to kill a deer?”
Let me ask
you this: Why would you prefer criminals to have the ability to out-gun
law-abiding citizens? Under this policy, criminals will still have
their 30-round magazines, but the average American will not. Whose side
are you on?
Lastly,
when did they government get into the business of regulating “needs?”
This is yet another example of government overreaching and straying from
its intended purpose.
Selling to Criminals
Mr.
President, these are your words: “And finally, Congress needs to help,
rather than hinder, law enforcement as it does its job. We should get
tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning
around and selling them to criminals. And we should severely punish
anybody who helps them do this.”
Why don’t we start with Eric Holder and thoroughly investigate the Fast and Furious program?
Furthermore,
the vast majority of these mass murderers bought their weapons legally
and jumped through all the hoops — because they were determined to
murder. Adding more hoops and red tape will not stop these types of
people. It doesn’t now — so what makes you think it will in the future?
Criminals who cannot buy guns legally just resort to the black market.
Criminals and murderers will always find a way.
Critical Examination
Mr.
President, in theory, your initiatives and proposals sound warm and
fuzzy — but in reality they are far from what we need. Your initiatives
seem to punish law-abiding American citizens and enable the murderers,
thugs, and other lowlifes who wish to do harm to others.
Let me be
clear: These ideas are the worst possible initiatives if you seriously
care about saving lives and also upholding your oath of office. There is
no dictate, law, or regulation that will stop bad things from happening
— and you know that. Yet you continue to push the rhetoric. Why?
You said, “If we can save just one person it is worth it.” Well here are a few ideas that will save more that one individual:
First,
forget all of your current initiatives and 23 purposed executive orders.
They will do nothing more than impede law-abiding citizens and breach
the intent of the Constitution. Each initiative steals freedom, grants
more power to an already-overreaching government, and empowers and
enables criminals to run amok.
Second,
press Congress to repeal the “Gun Free Zone Act.” Don’t allow America’s
teachers and students to be endangered one-day more. These parents and
teachers have the natural right to defend themselves and not be looked
at as criminals. There is no reason teachers must disarm themselves to
perform their jobs. There is also no reason a parent or volunteer should
be disarmed when they cross the school line.
This is
your chance to correct history and restore liberty. This simple act of
restoring freedom will deter would-be murderers and for those who try,
they will be met with resistance.
Mr.
President, do the right thing, restore freedom, and save lives. Show the
American people that you stand with them and not with thugs and
criminals.
Respectfully,
Severely Concerned Citizen, Evan M. Todd
