Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to W. K., January 21, 1997

Congress of tbe tlnitcb States $)ouSc of ixeprceentatitics ®Elasbtngton, 2ЭС 20515-2002 N»na^5sK^j35S5S«J5fP«e. jATlOMAl EcONOMICGAOWr^NATuRAL RESOUACfS January 21, 1997 Dear I Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns about a number of issues. In order to respond to your questions most effectively, I will address each issue individually. First, you expressed concerns about the Census Bureau’s plans to launch a $100 million ad campaign to promote the upcoming census. I agree with you. As you know, the federal government’s involvement in producing public service announcements is generally limited to executive agencies such as the Census Bureau. Public service announcements and federally-sponsored ad campaigns are indeed helpful to our society, especially in educating the public on issues such as AIDS; drug and alcohol abuse; domestic violence; and child abuse. The census — which ultimately determines how congressional seats are reapportioned — is an important process in which all Americans should participate. However, given the size and scope of the deficit, I believe that a marketing campaign of that size is unrealistic. With respect to Mayor Schmoke’s plan to buy 1000 guns at $100 each, I do not believe that such naive, though well- intentioned, initiatives will cause a reduction in crime. My record reflects a strong belief in the Second Amendment and the realization that phony gun control measures do not stop crime. In fact, gun control legislation tends to unjustly prohibit law-abiding citizens from exercising this constitutional right. The jurisdictions with the strictest gun control laws also have the highest murder rate. The real solution is to severely punish the criminal misuse of firearms, not the firearm itself. Third, with respect to my recent trip to China, it was not a “junket” or “vacation,” as you stated. The trip was a bipartisan congressional delegation visit in which 21 members of Congress participated. We met with high-level officials regarding a number of important issues, such as trade opportunities for Maryland businesses; China’s “Most Favored Nation” (MFN) trade status; and human rights issue. While it is true (as you observed) that the U. S. State Department is the federal entity principally responsible for foreign relations, Congress has direct oversight authority over the State Department and other federal departments and agencies. Moreover, some issues — such as China’s MFN status — require direct congressional action. Accordingly, I found the trip to be very informative and worthwhile. Thanks again for contacting me regarding this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if I may be of assistance. Sincerely, Member of Congress