Thank you for your thoughtful message regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). I appreciate hearing from you.

 

     I support the right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear firearms, as protected under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I have consistently said that the Second Amendment, as well as the Constitution of the State of Connecticut, secures for individuals a fundamental, constitutional right to bear arms. I also believe that narrowly drawn, reasonable regulations on firearms are constitutional, a view the Supreme Court has consistently reaffirmed.

 

     I have heard from many Connecticut residents who are concerned that a law enforcement operation by the BATFE known as "Project Gunrunner" may have allowed illegal weapons to be transported into Mexico. It is particularly troubling that some of these weapons may have found their way into the hands of violent drug traffickers and human smugglers.

 

     As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over the operations of the Department of Justice and the BATFE, I want to assure you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that our firearms laws are enforced, our Second Amendment rights are protected, and the trafficking of illegal weapons is eliminated.

 

     Thank you again for your letter. Please contact me in the future with any additional questions or concerns.