I wrote Senator Cassidy to encourage him not to make a deal with the Democrats after the Uvalde murders. Below is his response, and my counter response.
“Dear Mr. Landry:
Thank you for writing in your concerns regarding the bipartisan agreement in the aftermath of Uvalde, Texas. This is a very important topic and I appreciate hearing from you.
The group of bipartisan senators proposed commonsense legislation to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country. I joined these negotiations to ensure any agreement addressed illegal gun violence while upholding due process and protecting law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
The bipartisan agreement increases needed mental health resources, improves school safety and support for students, and helps ensure dangerous criminals and those who are adjudicated as mentally ill can’t purchase weapons.
The plan provides resources to states and tribes to create and administer laws that help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of people a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others, consistent with state and federal due process and constitutional protections.
The agreement does not support a federal mandate of Red Flag laws, and I do not support Red Flag laws that do not uphold strict due process.
The legislation will allow states to decide whether or not to impose Red Flag Laws.
The agreement ensures that if a state chooses to implement those laws, the state would need to preserve due process.
As a physician, I feel it is necessary to focus on expanding mental health resources for all Americans. For this reason, the bipartisan agreement provides funding for school-based mental health and supportive services, expands community mental health and suicide prevention programs, and invests in programs that increase access to telehealth services in youth and families in crisis.
I appreciate your perspective on this issue, and will certainly keep it in mind as Congress considers this bipartisan proposal.
Your comments are helpful as I continue to seek a balance between protecting American citizens’ Second Amendment rights and promoting the best interests for the people of Louisiana.
I will continue to represent the views of my state and do so through hearing from constituents like you. Please continue to reach out, either by phone or by email, when you have another question or concern.
You can reach my office in Washington DC at 202-224-5824 or submit an email at https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/contact.
Sincerely, Bill Cassidy”
I wrote back to him,
“Dear Senator Cassidy, I have received your response to my plea for you NOT to engage with the Democrats to increase gun controls on law abiding American citizens. I have read it, and this is my response.
You wrote, "The group of bipartisan senators proposed commonsense legislation to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country. I joined these negotiations to ensure any agreement addressed illegal gun violence while upholding due process and protecting law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights."
Every time Democrats, and their playthings in the Republican Party, Propose nonsense, they call it “common sense.”
Nothing in your bill will protect children. Not one point could have impaired the ability of the shooter to murder those children, if implemented.
It was not the lack of laws that enabled this vicious crime, it was the lack of proper enforcement of existing laws, and incompetence.
None of those points would have increased security in the school in question.
No point in your bill, (now law,) will do anything to, “reduce the threat of violence across our country.”
The only reliable effect of this law is to restrict gun ownership to law abiding American citizens.
CRIMINALS AND MURDERERS DO NOT OBEY LAWS!
Your whole dissertation falls apart on the assumption that laws, by the fact of their existence, will create the desired reaction.
Democrats persist in violating our Constitution, and you are simply a pawn in their game, as they set you up for, “checkmate.”
I pray wisdom for you, and I hope you awaken to reality before its too late for you. I put my trust in the Lord, and I will not be deceived, no matter how foolish you act.
The Lord will reward acts of wisdom, and foolishness appropriately. It is for us to line up with the truth.
You Wrote, “I will continue to represent the views of my state and do so through hearing from constituents like you.”
You have not represented the views of most of your constituents, and have continued to ignore the correspondence from citizens like me.
God bless you, Dave”