Telling Daniel's story

The Assault Weapons Ban will be expiring September 13
It's up to President Bush and the Republican-led Congress to save it

This important legislation has been in place for the past ten years, barring the manufacture and sale of 19 named assault weapons, as well as ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets. This ban has stopped the spread of deadly weapons like the the Uzi, AK-47, Street Sweeper, and the infamous TEC DC9 used to mow down students at Columbine. Why in the world would anyone want to see the return of these killing machines to our streets?

In a compromise won by the gun lobby, the ban was set to expire in ten years unless renewed. Well, now it’s set to expire. The Senate passed an amendment to a bill that would have extended the ban, but the NRA pulled strings and saw to it that the entire bill was killed. The House Republican leadership is determined to see the ban expire. How tragic.

I am frustrated, sad, angry, disgusted, and outraged that my Congressman, Tom Tancredo, and my two U.S. Senators, Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Wayne Allard, don’t want to save the ban.

I received the attached letter from Tancredo explaining his position. Attached is my response to him. In it I say that if he’s unwilling to change his position, he should at least come out and explain his position to myself and others who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence. I wonder if he’ll have the courage to do so…

This summer I plan to do some marching. Thanks to the release of evidence from the Columbine massacre, I’ll be wearing something of Daniel’s. They’re the actual shoes he wore on April 20, 1999. I will wear these shoes to ensure we renew the ban on assault

Daniel and Christie.

weapons. I’ll be honoring Daniel. Wearing his shoes symbolizes that I don’t want to see more parents wear the shoes I have had to wear the past five years. I’ll be asking others to join me in walking, at a number of events where Colorado’s pro gun Congressmen will be present.

I've heard the arguments of my opponents and I take them on in this Q&A on the assault weapons ban.


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