Summary: To Whom It May Concern: CAN SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME? This is a big issue to me and I need help fixing it ASAP, it has been way too long already. I have been trying to get it fixed for about a dozen years, to no avail. I have written & called numerous people & agencies. I have contacted several of you before & I am continuously given NO ANSWERS, given steps to resolves this, that leads to dead ends. I have spent many hours & several dollars doing every step that I have been advised to follow. Nothing! I have gotten nowhere. I am being denied my 2nd Amendment rights! I have always been an avid shooter since childhood. At the age of 18, I joined the U.S. Army and was in charge of many weapons including various assault rifles, light machineguns, grenade launchers, anti-tank weapons & several other weapons during my almost 6-year tenure. I even achieved an expert marksmanship badge. I had a security clearance while I was in the military. I currently receive jury notices & I have voted in major elections over the years. I am a fully disabled person of average stature that lives by myself in a neighborhood that is becoming increasingly worse (about a mile from the county jail). I would be a fairly easy target for criminals. I would like to purchase a firearm for personal defense in my home, but I am denied by NICS. When I was 16 years old; I was arrested in possession of what I called a firework, but it was deemed by the authorities; a destructive device. I was held in the juvenile hall for around 10 days. I went to court and was released to my uncles care and given probation until the age of 18. I NEVER violated the terms of my probations and was released from probation when I became 18. During the process of enlisting in the Army back in 1995/1996, I had to go down to the L.A. County Juvenile facility with the recruiter to have my record expunged, I was told that I would not be able to obtain a security clearance without first doing that. That was the last I had heard of the issue for several years. In 1999, I was had a NICS check performed while attempting to purchase a firearm in Fayetteville, NC. I went through the appeal process that I was given by the vendor in a pamphlet; I had to submit a fingerprint card that I had to get completed at the military police station. I had to send in a processing fee to the FBI. After several letters and phone calls to the FBI; I was given a response that had told me that I needed to contact the originating department (L.A. County Juvenile Court). I did so immediately and NOTHING came of it, I did not even receive a response after sending 2 letters (checking the address after the first one to make sure I had sent the first letter to the correct address). I had gotten caught up with other things in my life and did not further pursue it. On August 29, 2004 I suffered a brain aneurysm that resulted in me spending a few months in the hospital, fighting for my life. After my aneurysm, I was left disabled & living with my father. I knew that before long, I would be living on my own; so, again I tried to resolve the whole not being allowed to buy a gun issue. I contacted the L.A. Juvenile Court again (multiple times). I was sent paper work to fill out that was just about identical to the paperwork I had to fill out when joining the Army. Talking with them on the phone led to several very heated conversations, as they are absolutely clueless and do not respect the right guaranteed to U.S. Citizens at all! I once again filled out the paperwork as best as I could and sent it in. NOTHING! I have been busy the last few years with school (which I got on the Deans List & won a scholarship for my good grades) & physical rehabilitation. The area in which I reside has been getting worse and once again I began trying to resolve this. NICS finally reluctantly admitted that the hold up was with L.A. County Juvenile Court. Once again, I called them.
