I just want to check my English reading comprehension. I have been living outside the United States for more than 10 years, so maybe I misinterpreted Senator Lindsey Graham’s response to a form letter I sent him after the Orlando shooting. I sent my email response to Senator Graham’s email address and received an immediate reply with, “This mailbox is not monitored. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact me here.” Of course, the link doesn’t work. Since he is not going to read it, maybe someone else can enlighten me.
Here’s his email:
Dear Casey:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent terrorist attack in Orlando. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.
We are fighting a war against radical Islam which knows no bounds. If gun control could prevent radical Islamic terrorist attacks, there would have been no attacks in Paris and Brussels. This is not a gun control issue; it’s a radical Islamic terrorism issue. Instead of calling for more gun control, we need to develop a more robust intelligence gathering system and reject the “leading from behind” model of President Obama which allowed ISIL to come into being and continue to exist.
I have co-sponsored legislation that would prevent suspected terrorists on the No-Fly and Selectee Lists from purchasing guns while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. At the end of the day, I believe this legislation is about counterterrorism, not gun control, but it is an important step we can take here at home to protect ourselves. Simply put, I don’t want anyone who is too dangerous to fly on a plane to buy a gun. On June 23, 2016, the legislation was offered as an amendment to the FY17 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriation bill. While the Senate defeated a procedural motion related to this amendment, the underlying legislation has not passed.
As your United States Senator, my primary job is to understand and represent the interests of all South Carolinians. The opportunity to hear from you about the issues confronting our nation is not only essential to representative democracy, but allows me to better serve the people of South Carolina. We will not see eye-to-eye on every issue; however, I promise to always give your concerns the consideration they deserve.
I encourage you to visit my website — lgraham.senate.gov — as it will have information on the most recent activities before the U.S. Senate. You can also sign up for our e-mail newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages which will provide the latest information and updates on the major issues facing our state and our nation.
Thank you again for contacting me. I truly appreciate the opportunity to hear from you and am honored to have the opportunity to represent your interests in the U.S. Senate.
Sincerely,
Lindsey O. Graham
United States Senator
My response was:
Dear Senator Graham,
I usually don't respond to these (or even pay much attention to them) because they always seem like form letter responses. You probably know I feel. I send a lot of form letters your way too, but I at least check to see if I agree with what I'm signing for. Perhaps you should choose you words more carefully when you send them out en masse. After stating in the second paragraph that the Orlando incident "is not a gun control issue," in the very next paragraph you point out how you don't want people on the no fly list to be able to purchase a gun. Is that not gun control? You are trying to pass a law that "controls" who has access to guns. I can plainly see that the "not a gun control issue" statement was probably intended to quell any discomfort for people who feel that the government is coming to take away their weapons any day now. I'm not one of those people. I understand that gun control is a subject that should be discussed. A lot of problems that are occurring in the United States at this very moment are gun-related. Even though the mere mention of "gun control" gets people extremely upset, you should please feel free to speak in plain language. Political doublespeak just adds to the ridiculous left/right divide in this country that prevents anything from getting done. You are for gun control. You just told me why and how. You don't have to pretend you're working for something completely different than gun control. Maybe with some clear explanation about how you want to approach gun control, you can get support from people from both sides of the aisle, constituents included. Otherwise, nothing will continue to be done about these horrific acts as the rest of the world watches in disbelief at the US's inaction. You talk about "leading from behind." Why should the rest of the world want us to lead anything if we can't solve our own major issues? Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Casey McKeever