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April 13, 2000
The Honorable Eliot Spitzer
Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol, Albany, New York 12224

Dear General Spitzer:
“I have received your letter of March 16, 2000 inviting me to join in
your effort to encourage various state and local governments to award
law enforcement gun contracts only to gun manufacturers agreeing to a
“Code of Conduct” which dictates various business practices, safety
features, marketing strategies, etc., for both gun manufacturers and gun
dealers at the wholesale and retail level. I must respectfully decline
your
invitation.

First let me say, if I believed the safety of my constituents were
truly the issue, I would be much more considerate of your request. But
we are not living in a country flooded with “unsafe” guns. It is their
illegal use that endangers us-that must be addressed through vigorous
criminal prosecution. Providing for guns safety locks is one thing and,
in truth, only a small part of your “Code of Conduct.” However,
dictating how many guns a purchasers is allowed to take home on one day,
banning sales at gun shows and prohibiting a minor from even entering a
gun store without a parent or guardian are parts of a political agenda,
not a push for “gun safety.” Coupling the safety issue with a strict
regulation of business practices is merely a maneuver to advance a
decidedly political agenda under the guise of “public safety.” I am a
strong proponent and defender of Americans’ Second Amendment right to
keep and bear arms. I also make every effort to be a responsible manager
of my constituents’ tax dollars. I ask the director of the Arkansas
State Police to make purchasing and requisition decisions based on
quality, service and price. I will not ask him to award a lucrative
government contract in order to further a political agenda geared at
controlling and ultimately destroying the firearms industry. I want
Arkansas State Troopers to protect our citizens and themselves using the
best guns available, not guns from the most “politically correct”
manufacturer.

In 1999, I signed into law an act prohibiting Arkansas’ local
governments from suing firearms manufacturers seeking compensation for
injuries and deaths resulting from the illegal use of these companies’
products. To hold the gun industry accountable for crime is like holding
our nation’s farmers liable for the healthcare costs associated with
obesity. The desire of some to blame the gun manufacturers for crime
rather than prosecute criminals seems to me a sadly misguided attempt at
protecting our citizens. It is also a rather thinly veiled attempt to
vilify and control those who engage in a business which is eminently
legal and necessary, yet not particularly smiled upon by the current
administration in Washington. I thank God previous administrations
understood and appreciated not only the sanctity of the Second
Amendment, but its necessity as well. Gun manufacturers make the Second
Amendment a viable right rather than some theoretical proposition. I
will not abuse my authority as Governor to pursue their demise or
dictate their business practices through coercion. So the answer is a
definite ‘no,” I will not seek the capitulation of firearm manufacturers
through the use of asinine lawsuits or the doling out of taxpayer-funded
government contracts. I regret that you feel either of these tactics to
be worthwhile endeavors.”

Sincerely yours,
Mike Huckabee
Governor State Of Arkansas