Eighteen state attorneys general, including six Democrats, have signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft offering their "wholehearted support" for the Justice Department's view that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual's right to keep and bear arms (link in PDF format). The letter adds:
As the chief law enforcement officers of our respective states, we wish to make one final point that is outside the scope of constitutional analysis. Simply put, your position on the Second Amendment is a sound public policy decision. There is an increasing amount of data available to support the claim that private gun ownership deters crime.
From July 19th
http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/