To Whom it may concern:

WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT SUPPORT H.R.45, the Firearm Licensing bill (2009).

WE are tired of our rights being denigrated and destroyed.

Our vote for any such bill is NO! Further any politician who votes for this bill or any bill of this type will be noted, and voted against when they come up for re-election.

There are currently over 20,000 existing gun laws on the books and most of them do nothing to stop or curtail criminals. Reducing restictions however prove to do just that. Statistics are clear. Wherever lawful gun ownership flourishes, crime rates, by whatever measure, are reduced. In states with lawful handgun carry laws, crime rates are lower. The rate of crimes committed by lawful owners of firearms is a very small percentage of the overall rate of crimes committed with firearms and those numbers are undeniable. The federally required NICS is an excellent tool in determining the eligibility of an individual to legally purchase a handgun or rifle. There is a city outside of Atlanta, Ga. where it is required that every home have a gun. Guess what, crime is extremely low in that community. Instance after instance shows that high legal gun ownership relates to lower crime and places that make it hard to own guns or ban them altogether relates to a higher crime rate. Look at many of the larger, supposedly progressive cities and states in the northeastern U.S. Many have some of the highest rates of gun crime there are simply because the criminals know there is little chance of being confronted by a lawabiding gun owner.

Stop criminalizing the lawful and law abiding gun owners. The studies by Department of Justice themselves show that these such weapons are used in a statistically insignificant portion of crime. And when they are their use would not have been prevented by the legislation.

History and statistics both prove that such bills are destructive to the citizenry. If this bills purpose is truely to " to protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death" then the congress should do a little homework and realize that the only threats to the public are from a criminal element that this bill (unlike others that already exist and are not enforced) will not address, and from the government itself. We would like to think it would not happen here, but as the government is getting larger, and the people weaker we should always consider history.

* In 1929 the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated. This doesn't include the 30 million "Uncle Joe" starved to death in the Ukraine.

* In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

*Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, leaving a populace unable to defend itself against the Gestapo & SS. Millions died.

* China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.

* Guatamala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.

*Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated. The total dead are said to be 2-3 million.

*Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, 1-2 million "educated" people unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

*Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, 1-2 million "educated" people unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

* Defenseless people rounded up & exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million at a bare minimum.

During W.W. II the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED.

Note: Admiral Yamamoto who crafted the attack on Pearl Harbor had attended Harvard University 1919-1921 & was Naval Attache to the U.S. 1925-28. Most of our Navy was destroyed at Pearl Harbor & our Army had been deprived of funding and was ill prepared to defend the country. It was reported that when asked why Japan did not follow up the Pearl Harbor attack with an invasion of the U.S. Mainland, his reply was that he had lived in the U.S. and knew that almost all households had guns.

*Gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results: Australia-wide, homicides went up 3.2 percent; Australia-wide, assaults went up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies went up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent); While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady DECREASE in armed robbery with firearms, that changed drastically upward in the first year after gun confiscation... since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed; There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins & assaults of the Elderly. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort & expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.

With guns.... We are "citizens"

Without Them.... We are "subjects".

WE THE PEOPLE do not give our govenment the right to track our every movement and location, registration of our personal property, track commerce of our personal propery, keep our personal identification information (or property {whether firearms or ammunition} or possessions) in a federal or state database , the federal government to run laws in our state or local municipalities, or confiscate our firearms for any reason. We are not crimals, and WE THE PEOPLE do not give the govenment to treat us as such.

The undersigned.

To Whom it may concern:

WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT SUPPORT H.R.45, the Firearm Licensing bill (2009).

WE are tired of our rights being denigrated and destroyed.

Our vote for any such bill is NO! Further, any politician who votes for this legislation, or similar bills, will be noted by the sport shooting and hunting public and voted against at the time of re-election.

There are currently over 20,000 existing gun laws on the books and most of them do nothing to stop or curtail criminals. Reducing restictions, however, prove to do just that. Statistics are clear. Wherever lawful gun ownership flourishes, crime rates, by whatever measure, are reduced. In states with lawful handgun carry laws, crime rates are lower. The rate of crimes committed by lawful owners of firearms is a very small percentage of the overall rate of crimes committed with firearms, and those numbers are undeniable. The federally required NICS is an excellent tool in determining the eligibility of an individual to legally purchase a handgun or rifle. There is a city outside of Atlanta, Ga. where it is required that every home have a gun. For it was in 1982 that the city council of Kennesaw, Georgia voted unanimously to require the head of every household to own a gun and ammunition. That year the incidence of burglary went down 73 percent in Kennesaw, according to The New American (http://publicrights.org/Kennesaw/TheNewAmerican.html). March 25th will mark the anniversary of Kennesaw's pro-gun ordinance. The city has been virtually crime-free since. After the law went into effect in 1982, crimes against persons (including homicide and rape) plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981. They fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. There were only 40 burglaries (both business and residential) in 1992. For the ten-year period 1983-1992, armed robberies averaged a mere 1.6 annually, rapes 1.5, and murders 0.2. There have been no murders with guns. Instance after instance shows that high legal gun ownership relates to lower crime and places that make it hard to own guns or ban them altogether relates to a higher crime rate. Look at many of the larger, supposedly progressive cities and states in the northeastern U.S. Many have some of the highest rates of gun crime there are simply because the criminals know there is little chance of being confronted by a lawabiding gun owner. The studies by the Department of Justice show that these such weapons are used in a statistically insignificant portion of crime. And when they are, their use would not have been prevented by the legislation.

I am a gun owner. I have been proud to call myself a hunter for over 20 years, ever since my father first took me hunting for ruffed grouse at the age of 12. I soon plan to add a handgun to my firearm collection, for both sport and personal protection. I have never committed a crime, save speeding at the age of 17, as is the case with the majority of lawful firearm owners. The public servants of this great country need to stop the criminalization of law abiding gun owning citizens.

History and statistics both prove that such bills are destructive to the citizenry. If the purpose of this bill is truely "to protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death" then the congress should do a little homework and realize that the only threats to the public are from a criminal element that this bill (unlike others that already exist and are not enforced) will not address, and from the government itself. We would like to think it would not happen here, but as the government is getting larger, and the people weaker, we should consider historical fact.

* In 1929 the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated. This doesn't include the 30 million "Uncle Joe" starved to death in the Ukraine.

* In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

*Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, leaving a populace unable to defend itself against the Gestapo & SS. Millions died.

* China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.

* Guatamala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.

*Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated. The total dead are said to be 2-3 million.

*Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, 1-2 million "educated" people unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

*Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, 1-2 million "educated" people unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

* Defenseless people rounded up & exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million at a bare minimum.

During W.W. II the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED.

Note: Admiral Yamamoto who crafted the attack on Pearl Harbor had attended Harvard University 1919-1921 & was Naval Attache to the U.S. 1925-28. Most of our Navy was destroyed at Pearl Harbor & our Army had been deprived of funding and was ill prepared to defend the country. It was reported that when asked why Japan did not follow up the Pearl Harbor attack with an invasion of the U.S. Mainland, his reply was that he had lived in the U.S. and knew that almost all households had guns.

*Gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results: Australia-wide, homicides went up 3.2 percent; Australia-wide, assaults went up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies went up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent); While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady DECREASE in armed robbery with firearms, that changed drastically upward in the first year after gun confiscation... since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed; There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins & assaults of the Elderly. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort & expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.

With guns.... We are "citizens"

Without Them.... We are "subjects".

WE THE PEOPLE do not give our govenment the right to track our every movement and location, registration of our personal property or the right to track the sale or purchase of our personal property. WE THE PEOPLE do not give the federal government the right to confiscate our firearms for any reason, other than the committal of crimes. We are not crimals, and WE THE PEOPLE do not give the govenment the right to treat us as such.

The undersigned.

Dear Representatives,

WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT SUPPORT H.R.45, the Firearm Licensing bill (2009).

WE are tired of our rights being denigrated and destroyed.

Our vote for any such bill is NO! Further, any politician who votes for this bill or any bill of this type will be noted, and voted against when they come up for re-election.

There are currently over 20,000 existing gun laws on the books and most of them do nothing to stop or curtail criminals. Reducing restictions to lawful gun ownership, however, have proven to do just that. Statistics are clear. Where ever lawful gun ownership flourishes, crime rates, by whatever measure, are reduced. In states with lawful handgun carry laws, crime rates are lower. The rate of crimes committed by lawful owners of firearms is a very small percentage of the overall rate of crimes committed with firearms and those numbers are undeniable. The federally required NICS is an excellent tool in determining the eligibility of an individual to legally purchase a handgun or rifle. In the city of Kennesaw, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, it is required by law that every home have a gun. After that law was passed in 1982, the crime rate immediately dropped by 89% and has remained among the lowest in the state ever since. Instance after instance shows that high legal gun ownership relates to lower crime, and places that make it hard to own guns or ban them altogether relates to a higher crime rate. Look at many of the larger, supposedly progressive cities and states in the northeastern U.S. Many have some of the highest rates of gun crime there are simply because the criminals know there is little chance of being confronted by a law abiding gun owner.

Stop criminalizing the lawful and law abiding gun owners. The studies by Department of Justice themselves show that these such weapons are used in a statistically insignificant portion of crime. And when they are used, their use would not have been prevented by the legislation.

History and statistics both prove that such bills are destructive to the citizenry. If this bills' purpose is to truly "protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death" then the Congress should realize that the only threats to the public are from a criminal element that this bill (unlike others that already exist and are not enforced) will not address, and from the government itself. We would like to think it would not happen here, but as the government is getting larger, and the people weaker, we should always consider history.

* In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated. This doesn't include the 30 million "Uncle Joe" starved to death in the Ukraine.

* In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

* Germany established gun control in 1928. In 1938, the Nazis extended that control to ban the possession of military style weapons and to outlaw the sale of any weapons without government approval. (This sounds a lot like some of the current gun control efforts being pushed for in our country today.) From 1939 to 1945, the Gestapo & SS killed millions of people unable to defend themselves.

* China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.

* Guatamala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.

* Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated. The total dead are said to be 2-3 million.

* Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, 1-2 million "educated" people unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

* Defenseless people rounded up & exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million at a bare minimum.

* During W.W. II the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED.

Note: Admiral Yamamoto, who crafted the attack on Pearl Harbor, had attended Harvard University from 1919 to 1921 and was a Naval Attache to the U.S. from 1925-28. Most of our Navy was destroyed at Pearl Harbor, and our Army had been deprived of funding and was ill prepared to defend the country. It was reported that when asked why Japan did not follow up the Pearl Harbor attack with an invasion of the U.S. Mainland, his reply was that he had lived in the U.S. and knew that almost all households had guns.

* Gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results: Australia-wide, homicides went up 3.2 percent; Australia-wide, assaults went up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies went up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent). While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady DECREASE in armed robbery with firearms, that changed drastically upward in the first year after gun confiscation... since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed; There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults on the Elderly. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort & expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.

With guns.... We are "citizens".

Without Them.... We are "subjects".

WE THE PEOPLE do not give our govenment the right to track our every movement and location, registration of our personal property, track commerce of our personal propery, keep our personal identification information (or property {whether firearms or ammunition} or possessions) in a federal or state database, the federal government to run laws in our state or local municipalities, or confiscate our firearms for any reason. We are not crimals, and WE THE PEOPLE do not give the govenment the right to treat us as such.

The undersigned.

To Whom It May Concern:

Our elected officials are sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States. The Second Amendment is clear and to the point, and does not need clarification or adjustment. I adamently oppose any attempt to restrict my rights as a citizen to own a firearm. H.R. 45 demonstrates that our elected officials are over-reaching their authority, and openly defying their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. As a long-time resident of the great state of Florida, I encourage my representatives to defeat this bill and any others like it. It is time to return to the values of our Founding Fathers, and restore the honor and integrity upon which this great country was built.

Sincerely yours,

William C. Lemmel