Bobblehead Bob shoots craps

Does he ever listen
to constituents?

Communicating with Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte is like talking to a pumpkin head - you can see light in the eyes but know nobody is home (or even in the neighborhood). I'd written him about some reasonable ways to curb gun violence in America. His canned response didn't directly address my letter (did the staffer even read it?) and it may have actually been penned by some hatchling at the NRA.

Usually I condemn his drool and dribble to the trash bin and forget trying to communicate with the GOP drone, but this time I felt the issue was important enough to the children and law enforcement officers of our great nation to respond. Below is my less than articulate email composed in haste but not conviction. I hope he will read it here since I am sure my email will never escape the clutches of his staffer.

Dear Congressman Goodlatte:

I received your reply to my previous email about gun violence. There are some areas where we find ourselves in agreement. Violence in culture, inadequacies in our mental health system, and loopholes in current state and federal laws all need to be addressed. But, with all due respect, your response was inadequate and read like it might have been drafted by the NRA. It totally ignored the common element in these horrific events - guns! 

I am a gun owner. Neighbors and members of my family hunt and own rifles and shotguns. We are all law abiding citizens and want to preserve our right to keep and bear arms for legitimate self-protection and hunting purposes.

But, neither I nor members of my family can see a justification for allowing assault-style weapons with huge ammo clips on the streets where, even if legally purchased, they can fall into the wrong hands. These guns are designed to kill people in large numbers. Assault weapons are a dangerous threat to school children and police officers alike. A couple of years ago a spate of gun thefts in our area resulted in these weapons now being bought and sold in the criminal underground. 

We should have nationwide background checks for all sales, gifts and other ownership changes of guns. No exceptions. No internet sales. Stiff punishments for those who violate the law. There is nothing about background checks that threatens the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.

None of our rights are without limits or responsibilities. Just as 1st Amendment freedom of expression is not unlimited in all situations and 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure are continually redefined by courts because of changes in society and technology, the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is subject to reasonable limits. I believe the measures I've described are among those that are both reasonable and have some prospect of saving American lives from an epidemic of gun violence. 

I hope to see your leadership as my representative and chair of the Judiciary Committee bringing forth meaningful legislation to address gun violence in America.

Will this guy ever retire as he promised he'd do? Will he ever act with courage rather than blind partisanship?