Assault weapons ban back in play; Feinstein tries to get reluctant Congress ...

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Feb 9, 2004 | by Edward Epstein

[Lazamataz]

Washington -- Gun control hasn't emerged as a leading issue in the 2004 presidential race, but that is likely to change as Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein intensifies her effort to win renewal of the decade-old assault weapons ban, which expires in September.

[justshutupandtakeit]

I'm sure there are several reasons you are not and never have been a Bush supporter. None of them good or rational.

[justshutupandtakeit]

No, Bush will not have a decision to make since this will never get out of the House so you will have to concoct some other absurd reason to be against the president. Maybe you will have to revert to "I don't like his smirk."

MMMs are not members of the NRA now are they?

[Flyer]

If they make any changes to the bill then it is new law and not a renewal. The President could veto on that basis.

[freeeee]

I'm sure there are several reasons you are not and never have been a Bush supporter.

The 1st Amendment.
The 2nd Amendment.
The 4th Amendment.
The 5th Amendment.
The 9th Amendment.
The 10th Amendment.

All good reasons - but as I sat in my Florida voting booth, the 2nd guided my hand.

[IGOTMINE]

Do I really need to cite the entire littany of Republican spinelessness?

They'll cave. They always do on gun issues.

[jjm2111]

"The NRA and the gun manufacturers feel they are close to Senate passage of the bill that would protect gunmakers and dealers from liability suits, a blanket protection given no other industry."

WHOOP! WHOOP! BIAS ALERT! BIAS ALERT! Yes, I recall that if you beat someone to death with a baseball bat, the relatives of the deceased can sue the bat manufacturer for liability.

"I am here to tell you that it will absolutely make it to his desk."

Then I will not vote for him. I'll forgive all of Bush's other bullsh-t; the illegal immigrant amnesty, the spending, etc., but if he signs a renewal of the damn AWB, I'll either stay home or vote for the Libertarian or Constitution Party candidate.

[freeeee]

Bush will not have a decision to make since this will never get out of the House

After CFR, the burden of proof is on you. I've been fooled once...

MMMs are not members of the NRA now are they?

I've never heard a NRA member us the term "Whacko Brigade" to describe 2nd Amendment supporters, but there's a first time for everything.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Obviously you have no good reasons to oppose the President and trying to throw up Constitutional arguments is generally the screen of one without them.

Stay on the side of the enemies of the nation no reason to change now.

[freeeee]

trying to throw up Constitutional arguments is generally the screen of one without them

Yeah, why should I expect the president of all people to uphold the Constitution? Silly me.

[Warren_Piece]

All good reasons - but as I sat in my Florida voting booth, the 2nd guided my hand.

Go Pat, Go.

[Redcloak]

Normally, I'd be happy to see DiFi trying to drag the Dems over this cliff one more time. But, with Dubya in turbo-pander mode, I'm hoping that DeLay can round up enough Dems to keep this abortion off the table.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Rational 2d amendment supporters are fine, those pretenders who cannot recognize that, unless our enemies are confronted and destroyed, there will be no constitution to fight about are another matter.

They willingly join the Enemy under the pretense that it will somehow help the cause they claim to support when in fact it will lead to more certain removal of the rights they pretend to protect.

It is common for activists to undermine support of our great president by appealling to those on his right who can't think too well. It is a device which has worked very well for the Left. There is no shortage of the gullible.

[45Auto]

I have supported the President and I still do even though he has really made some mistakes; nobody is perfect. I am willing to give him some slack on campaign finance reform, education reform (courtesy of Fat Teddy The Drunk), even the massive expansion of Medicare and to some extent (but this is also critical in my judgment) on the Mexican workers/Illegal aliens problem.

The Gun Issue is central to my thinking about politics and has been for a long time. Why? Because I figure the way a political figure thinks about that is the way he generally thinks about the Constitution as a whole. After all, our elected officials are NOT masters of the people, they are SERVANTS of the people, and part of their serving has to do with upholding the Constitution. Sure, its very idealistic; and sure, most of them fall quite short.

We have already seen a steady erosion of some of our basic Constitutional rights over the last 50 years; although the advance of "Shall Issue" CCW states has been very impressive, at its heart is the fact that the RIGHT to keep and bear arms has been changed at every level to the PERMISSION to keep and bear arms. If we (rabid firearms enthusiasts) cannot at least get a symbolic rollback of unconstitutional and virtually worthless gun laws (in terms of crime) when OUR boys are in control, then we will slowly come to a point where we have NO rights at all.

On the other hand, a lot of people like to "talk tough" about removing a tyrannical government under force of arms; the only people who actually take them seriously are politicians like Feinswine. Other than paying off her campaign donors, I see the real reason she (and others) push this kind of legislation: to finally remove the threat posed by a well-armed citizenry to a kind of "soft tyranny", a "kinder, gentler" communism if you will.

The RATs far-reaching agenda calls for a tax rate of 90% or greater; the total abolition of private property, and the complete control of the entire nation's GDP ("for the good of the people"). While there may never be a full-scale uprising, even after the institution of such a plan, there will ALWAYS be the unpredictable. A population of 3 or 4 hundred million people, maybe half of whom are armed somewhat, and a hard-core cadre of 1 - 5 million heavily armed and really pissed off formerly free men could do a lot of damage to the plan for total control. I see the gun issue in a very long range way - the next 50 to 100 hundred years. And so does that tyrant-in-waiting DiFi Swine-stein. An armed citizenry is a major barrier to totalitarianism. Paranoid? History does not think so.

[ought-six]

Again, Feinswine misleads the American people by saying "only the gun industry would have protection against liability lawsuits." That is a bold-faced lie and she knows it: The proposed immunity law merely states that gun manufacturers cannot be held liable for the criminal misuse of their lawful and legal product. In other words, Winchester could not be held legally liable if someone used a Winchester product (say, a .30-30 carbine) to commit a crime. The rifle itself is a legal product, as is a car, for example. This law would also protect manufacturers of other legal products (by precedent) if those other legal products are used in the commission of a crime.

[looscnnn]

I just love the paranoia, that the world is going to end, that you exude. Were you like this just before Clinton was elected? How about before Bush got elected? Are you afraid that if a Dem gets in, that the GOP in Congress will cave to him? If we are a minute fraction of what is going on in the US, why the paranoia? Would you be less so if Bush had not been shooting himself in the foot with the liberal issues he has advanced and is trying to advance?

He so far has my vote, but if he pushes for the illegals amnesty and signs the AWB extension or a bill with it riding on it, he will loose my vote. I will abstain from picking a presidential candidate and will live with whoever is elected.

[freeeee]

Go Pat, Go.

Democratic Party Playbook, Chapter 2

As we said in Chapter 1, never ever discuss the issues. Instead, align the issue with a certain candidate, then malign the candidate. In this way elections become competitions between cults of personalities, instead of issues.

Democratic candidates report huge success with this tactic, having learned it in Junion High School class elections.

[ought-six]

"I am here to tell you that it will absolutely make it to his desk."

Which will mean just one more issue that has alienated his supporters, and cost him his re-election. The AWB is not about crime; it is not about accidents: It is all about disarming the American people so that they will be dependent upon the government; in other words, the AWB is intended to turn American citizens into subjects. It has no other purpose.

[justshutupandtakeit]

There is much more to the Constitution than the 2d amendment. Not that I would expect you to understand that.

[looscnnn]

"trying to throw up Constitutional arguments is generally the screen of one without them."

What the hell, have you lost your mind? Are you saying the Constitution is not important? Are you saying that any president that does not uphold the oath of office to defend the Constitution should not be held accountable? You say you are a NRA member, but that is impossible because they firmly believe in the Constitutuion.

[ought-six]

Um, his base IS NOT firm.