This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I don't think I've ever been so ashamed of Utah's representatives in Congress as I was when I read that Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee helped kill the proposed gun-control legislation ("Hatch, Lee help defeat 'centerpiece' gun-control legislation," Tribune, April 18).
Hatch "hoped" the legislation is "done for good" because "there isn't anything in that bill that would solve any of those problems in any of those major incidents."
Lee agreed and said the proposal "would do little if anything to prevent violent crime" and it would burden "the rights of law-abiding Americans."
Are you kidding me? Do these two guys really believe that no attempt to save lives should ever be made because of the inability to determine the effect accurately beforehand?
Oh, by the way, the National Rifle Association "heralded the vote against more background checks." Hatch and Lee can be confident that their big campaign donations from the NRA will continue, and they can focus on their re-elections with plenty of money. Isn't this what it's all about anyway?
I offer my heartfelt apologies to the parents at Sandy Hook Elementary who lobbied so hard for this bill. I wish we could have done more.
Patty Williams
Salt Lake City