Please, DO Call Your Congresscritters!

The Violence Policy Center is a bit worried. It's issued this email alert:

Dear Violence Policy Center Action Network Member:

PLEASE CALL THE U.S. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD AT 202-224-3121 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TELL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE AGAINST EFFORTS TO REPEAL WASHINGTON, DC'S GUN LAWS!

TO IDENTIFY YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, OR FOR DIRECT-DIAL INFO, VISIT http://action.vpc.org/ctt.asp?u=3059891&l=56690 FOR THE U.S. SENATE AND http://action.vpc.org/ctt.asp?u=3059891&l=56691 FOR THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The effectiveness of the District's current ban on handgun possession is demonstrated by the fact that virtually none of the guns used in crime in the District originated here. Gun dealers in the District accounted for only three percent of recovered crime guns in 2000. In contrast, 59 percent of traceable D.C. crime guns were first purchased in Virginia and Maryland. Another 18 percent of D.C. crime guns were bought from gun dealers in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. All of these jurisdictions have gun laws far more lenient than the District of Columbia's.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO AS MANY OTHERS AS YOU CAN!

Thank you!

http://action.vpc.org/ctt.asp?u=3059891&l=56687

Now, I highlighted that one paragraph to illustrate a point: DC has traded places as "murder capital of the U.S." with Chicago - another gun control utopia - for years. What this illustrates is not "the effectiveness of DC's current ban," but the fact that all it's done is create a pool of unarmed victims. It hasn't hindered criminal access AT ALL. That's all that "effective gun control" can do - disarm the people you don't need to worry about.

So, by all means, please call or write your congresscritters, and tell them you're in favor of overturning DC's draconian gun laws. It's time and past time.