Dear Governor Newsom,
Today, our governor signed two bills into law that flipped the 2nd amendment on its head. In direct response to the SCOUS Bruen decision, the California Legislation took the vindictive actions that has nothing to do with reducing gun violence but more to do with trying to eliminate guns all together and leave law abiding citizens to be defenseless against those who have made breaking the laws and hurting people as a lifelong career.
This is wrong for many reasons. I do not feel this way just because I am a 2A advocate, but because I am a citizen of California and I love my state and my country. I care for my friends and family and am convinced that these laws will not make us safer but will empower criminals to keep doing criminal stuff. Criminals do not care about gun laws. They don’t get to gun stores, they don’t do background checks, they don’t wait 10 days, they don’t care about magazine limits or what is on roster, nor do they care about an “assault weapons ban.” THEY ARE CRIMINALS!!!
So here is my letter to the governor:
Dear Governor Newsom,
I really am at a loss for words. As a lifelong democrat, I feel like you don’t get it! All I want is to feel safe in my home and when I am out. I am a well-trained Marine Vet and law-abiding citizen. I live in a low crime area, but my work and life take me to places that are not so safe. The bill you just signed into law, SB2, will take that away from me. California, prior to SB2, was also the most restrictive state concerning gun rights in our nation. Gaining a CCW in California has always been difficult to obtain. As a CCW instructor, I am well versed in the requirements to obtain a CCW License in CA. This is not an easy feat. We must obtain a clean LiveScan background check, minimum of 8 hours of training, and confirmed by the issuing authority. We live each day with the knowledge that what we carry every day can take someone’s life in a moment. But this is the weight we choose to bear. I have searched all over and have yet to find one instance of an unlawful shot from a CA CCW licensee. So, what is the purpose of SB2 other than to make a political statement to the far left of our nation. Again, I am a registered Democrat that is planted firmly in the center, as is most everyone in the nation. Democrats are gun owners and CCW licensees as well. And we are!
So here is my dilemma, SB2 has made my hard earned CCW license useless if it goes into effect. Not just mine, but thousands of other law-abiding licensees who will now become defenseless against the very ones that could care less about laws in the first place. There is not a day that goes by that there is not a news story somewhere around where I live that bad people have done bad things. Criminals have been emboldened by the handcuffs recent laws and policies have placed on those who are sworn to protect and serve. Now these recent laws, which were written to somehow stop criminal activity by going after law abiding citizens will have us as sitting ducks. You may feel safe, surrounded by armed security everywhere you go, but I don’t have that luxury. I trust law enforcement, but what am I supposed to do during the average 3 minutes (In the nice neighborhood I live in, more like 30 where people who look like me live) we will have to wait for them to arrive. Pray and hope the crooks are merciful that day?
I do understand your passion and the feeling that you must do something. That is what drove me to join the Marine Corps almost 40 years ago and for me to start my busy. I needed to do something. I needed to make sure that my friends and family felt secure in their own homes with the rash of home invasion robberies. I needed to know that if my wife were about to get robbed while having dinner at a sidewalk cafe, that if the criminal wanted more than her purse, she would have the knowledge, skills, attitude, and tools to defend herself. I needed to know that there were more people willing to stand up for what is right and defend ourselves when someone wanted to force their will upon us. I needed to know that my church family would be safe from someone coming into our service wanting to do us harm just because of the color of our skin. I needed to know that if I drove past someone who was trying to snatch a child on her way home from school that I could be more than a witness.
So, Mr. Governor, I am strongly against SB2 and all the provisions therein. Instead of making me into a criminal for wanting to be the citizen I have been all my life, use your political power to make sure that every school has enough teachers, books, and resources to make sure our kids are competitive, regardless of their zip codes. Us your political might to make sure that the mentally ill have the services needed so they are not on our streets when we are walking our kids to school. (Yes, even on my street). Use your newfound national fame to promote real change in policing. You know, how it used to be where they walked the neighborhoods, and everyone knew their names. They respected the people, and the people respected them. (Because they were from the neighborhoods)
I am a proud Californian and a lifelong democrat (Can’t go for a party that thinks slavery was good for slaves). The history of gun control and the Black community has made me very scared of the unintended consequences. These laws will undoubtedly be enforced heavier handedly in the Black community. It will have no effect whatsoever on those hell bent on committing crimes. Only to embolden them to commit more, know that there will be no resistance. My faith is now with the courts to do what you refuse to do, follow the US Constitution, and abide by the rulings and guidance of the SCOUS. Even if we do not agree with the laws, we swore to support and defend the constitution. So, to disregard it, is a slap in the face to all those who fought and died to defend it. (I feel the same way about President Trump and the MAGA republicans!)
Sincerely,
Rick Archer, USMC
Archer Firearms Training, LLC
