OPEN LETTER FROM LEAA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JIM FOTIS TO THE SENATE
March 1, 2004

Part of LEAA's ongoing effort to champion the cause of police and community safety is carried out through educating legislators on the reality faced by rank-and-file cops. In this open letter to members of the U.S. Senate, LEAA Executive Director Jim Fotis answers anti-cop rhetoric with hard facts and a real-world perspective

Dear Senator:

Recently, the Law Enforcement Alliance of America asked you to support an amendment to S. 1805 to allow qualified, off-duty and retired law enforcement professionals to carry their firearms concealed, across jurisdictional boundaries (S. 253). This is the single biggest, most important legislative priority to America's men and women of law enforcement.

Today we repeat that request. And, on behalf of the almost 700,000 law enforcement professionals in America, please oppose the 'poison pill' amendments that are likely to damage support of, or possibly derail, S. 1805. S. 1805 protects legitimate gun manufacturers --the ones who produce guns for law enforcement. They need protection!

From a law enforcement perspective, the worst of the bad amendments is the one to extend/expand the Clinton Gun & Magazine Ban, supported by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA).

Law Enforcement wants to defeat the amendment to extend/expand the prohibition on certain guns and magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds for the following reasons:

- This prohibition misdirects our terribly limited law enforcement resources on a useless wild goose chase. The banned guns and magazines were never used in more than a small fraction of all murders in which the criminal used a gun; these guns were used in only about 1% of all crimes (to put this in perspective, bad guys use hands, feet, clubs and knives about 20-to-1 more often than these guns).

- Bad amendments, such as extending the gun and magazine ban, hurt the chance of passage. The President asked for a clean bill without this kind of divisive, unnecessary 'killer' amendment(s). The Senate overwhelmingly supports a clean S. 1805; in a very strong, bi-partisan way the Senate also supports allowing qualified off-duty and retired officers to carry concealed guns (S. 253 has 67 co-sponsors). Your vote to oppose bad amendments means you support cops with their number one legislative priority: the right to defend themselves, their families and our communities from vengeful violent criminals when off-duty or retired.

- The prohibition on magazines that carry more than ten rounds is hurting local law enforcement. In America today, most of the policing comes from small departments (over 87% of the police departments in America have 50 or fewer officers, 52% have less than 10 officers). It is not well known, but because of this bad law, officers from these small departments are having problems obtaining magazines for their off-duty guns, for training, and for their on-duty handguns.

- The prohibition on these guns is having a negative impact on officers who wish to obtain them for training and competition and it prohibits them from taking these guns and magazines with them upon retirement, under the threat of federal felony prosecution.

LEAA and police all across this great nation need your support to reject all 'poison pill' amendments to S. 1805. Law enforcement who put themselves in danger protecting us all deserves no less. For additional information on the history of S. 253 or its House side companion bill, H.R. 218 please feel free to go to http://www.leaa.org/218 or call 703-847-2677.

Sincerely,

James J. Fotis
Executive Director

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