Jeff Chan 
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REPLY REQUESTED

April 28, 1994

Hon. Romano L. Mazzoli 
Judiciary Committee 
United States House of Representatives

Dear Congressman Mazzoli:

I urge you to OPPOSE HR 4296, Congressman Schumer's Gun Ban.  It is
unworkable, unfair and unconstitutional.

Sooner or later the constitutionality of firearms restrictions will be
addressed.  I urge you and your staffers to consider well-researched
evidence showing that the Second Amendment protects a broad, individual
right.  I hope you will read the scholarship of historian Joyce Lee
Malcom's just published To Keep and Bear Arms (Harvard University
Press), Prof. William Van Alstyne's just-released Duke Law Journal
article, Stephen Halbrook's That Every Man Be Armed (LibertyTree Press,
800-927-8733), and Prof. Sanford Levinson's The Embarrassing Second
Amendment (Yale Law Journal, Volume 99).  Please also read the full text
of United States v Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939), in which the U.S.
Supreme Court earlier this century affirmed a broad individual right to
ownership of militia arms.

Since recent Federal Justice Department research shows that 94% of
felons get their guns illegally, taxes, waiting periods and bans only
serve to restrict access to the tools of safe and effective self-defense
by the law abiding.  Worse, Schumer's legislation could turn millions of
hard-working, decent citizens into criminals overnight.  Is that fair?
Can anyone argue that even a total ban on all firearms would "get guns
off the streets?"  The only type of crime control that definitely works
is to get criminals off the streets.  A vastly disproportionate number
of violent crimes are committed by a tiny number of hard core criminals
who should be removed from society.  Surely this is a better approach
than criminalizing the law-abiding.

The only form of gun control that has proven to reduce murder is reform
of firearms carry laws.  Florida's murder rate fell an astounding 40%
after the state in 1987 made firearm carry permits available to any
trained adult with no criminal or mental history.  The tremendously
biased, anti-self-defense, anti-gun media virtually ignores this fact.
They failed to make the obvious observation that criminals probably
targeted foreign tourists since they were assumed to be unarmed, unlike
more than 2% (200,000) of the eligible population of Florida who now
have carry permits.

Again, I urge you to OPPOSE Congressman Schumer's attack on the Second
Amendment, HR 4296.  This unconstitutional, unfair and unworkable bill
is not based on any rational, moral, legal or historical evidence.
Instead it is supported with inaccurate and deceptive "facts", emotional
hyperbole, revisionist history and contempt for individual freedom.  It
would in no significant way reduce violent crime; its only practical
effect would be to punish the lawful.

Sincerely,

[signature]

Jeff Chan