3/11/09

Urge Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia to Support a National Hate Crimes Bill

Contact Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and urge him to support the Mathew Shepard Hate Crime Legislation.

The below correspondence was received in response to a request made to Sen. Chambliss that he support national hate crimes legislation.

"Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts on hate crime legislation. I appreciate hearing your concerns on this matter."

"There is little evidence that indicates that violent crimes motivated by "hate" go unpunished in the United States. Most states already have criminal laws that prohibit the anti-social behavior addressed by hate crime legislation - including laws against murder, rape, arson, assault, and battery."

"I oppose the creation of Federal hate crime legislation for a variety of reasons. First, I do not believe the Federal government should interfere with the criminal laws already on the books in our states. Second, many hate crime bills attempt to establish a "protected class" of crime victims who would receive special protection under the law. And finally, we already have laws to prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes. Those people guilty of violent crimes against anyone should be prosecuted under existing law."

Some back ground information

A sample Letter

I hope you will support a Senate hate crimes bill.
The LGBT community has long unjustly suffered from violent crime targeted directly against Transgender, Bisexual, Queer, Gay and Lesbian people, law enforcements inability to identify hate crimes against LGBT people and the judicial systems inability to enforce harsher sentencing for hate crimes against LGBT people.

Sen Sen. Chambliss contact page

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