Posted on 11/08/2006 9:03:33 AM PST by A. Patriot
A National Momentum Shift: Supporters Of Common-Sense Gun Laws Win Races From Coast To Coast
Washington, DC (11/8/2006) — In election races across the country yesterday, candidates who support strengthening America's gun laws to fight gun violence defeated candidates backed by the gun lobby in U.S. Senate, U.S. House, gubernatorial and other statewide races and a number of high-profile state legislative races. The results should have a profound impact on the ability to fight illegal gun trafficking and gun violence in the coming years.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence won five out of five races for Governor and four out of four races for the U.S. Senate in which the group endorsed and went head to head with National Rifle Association endorsed candidates. In all, the Brady Campaign appears to have won 95 percent of the races where it endorsed candidates. In the U.S. House, it appears some 109 candidates either endorsed or A rated by the National Rifle Association went down to defeat, along with 18 candidates for U.S. Senate.
The shift in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, coupled with a U.S. Senate that will either see a control shift or be exceptionally close, will make it hard for the gun lobby to weaken gun laws and creates opportunities for passage of common sense gun proposals, according to Brady officials.
"In this election, the gun issue was in play, gun violence prevention groups won while the gun pushers lost, and there is now a shift in momentum on the issue of common sense gun restrictions," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
At least four of six U.S. Senate candidates that the NRA spent more than $1 million in total trying to re-elect went down to defeat, and the other two are losing. On the other hand, supporters of common sense gun laws in the Senate, like Dianne Feinstein, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Edward Kennedy, Deborah Stabenow and Richard Lugar were reelected handily.
In multiple key battles for Congressional seats supporters of tougher gun laws won, including Pennsylvania's Joe Sestak, Ohio's Betty Sutton and Colorado's Ed Perlmutter. "I'm so grateful to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for supporting me early on," Perlmutter said. "Not only did they help me win my primary, they've helped bring the issue of gun violence front and center in Colorado's 7th district."
The gun lobby lost key Gubernatorial fights where the candidates waged brutal policy battles publicly over guns in Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. It lost Governors' mansions in other states as well, including Massachusetts, Maryland, New York and Colorado, where victors Deval Patrick, Martin O'Malley, Elliott Spitzer and Bill Ritter proudly accepted the Brady Campaign endorsement.
The NRA lost races in which it endorsed candidates many months ago, as well as at least one major race where it made its endorsement literally at the last minute. Governor Bob Ehrlich of Maryland received the NRA's endorsement some time between midnight Monday, November 6 and 11 AM Tuesday, November 7 - and then lost to Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley anyway. O'Malley strongly supports passing a state assault weapons ban.
In New York State, a longtime leader in the fight to pass tougher gun laws returned to public office, as former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo crushed his opponent to be elected Attorney General. Appearing with Cuomo in New York last week to deliver the Brady Campaign's endorsement, Helmke said "rarely in the history of the gun violence prevention movement has there been a candidate for public office who has so thoroughly earned the movement's support." In California, former Governor and former Mayor of Oakland Jerry Brown, who aggressively challenged his NRA-backed opponent on the gun issue, was easily elected Attorney General. Martha Coakley, endorsed personally by Helmke in Boston last week, was elected Attorney General in Massachusetts.
In state legislative races, the trend continued. In Maryland, Jim Rosapepe unseated State Senator John Giannetti, who single-handedly blocked the state legislature from passing an assault weapons ban. "I couldn't have won this race without the help of Sarah and Jim Brady and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence," Rosapepe said. Brady backed candidates lead in a number of other races that have not yet been called.
In some contests, the message from the voters on whether they favor tougher gun laws was quite unambiguous and specific. In Cook County, Illinois, voters were asked whether they believe the State Legislatures should pass a ban on military-style assault weapons. The referendum passed with approximately 78 percent of the vote.
Ofcourse, the anti-gun people are only for 'sensible' gun laws, like no carry, safety locks and registration.
Might be a good time to lay in a few bricks.
Yes, it is 1994 again, like the past dozen years never happened.
W said he would sign an assault weapon ban. Better stock up now, folks.
The Dems have been updating and revising draft anti-gun bills for years now. This is going to be exceptionally ugly; they've learned to avoid certain mistakes, such as "sunset provisions". I'll bet the large mail-order companies are already bumping "high capacity" magazine prices back to 2003 levels.
That's not correct. NO gun laws have been "removed". One gun law was allowed to expire according to the sunset clause built in to it when it was passed.
While the Republican Congress did nothing actively offensive to gunowners, it also did nothing to favour us. It did not repeal any gun laws, or even seriously consider doing so.
There now, fixed.
It was allowed to expire by the GOP conrolled House.
It would not have been under a Democrat controlled one.
While the Republican Congress did nothing actively offensive to gunowners, it also did nothing to favour us. It did not repeal any gun laws, or even seriously consider doing so.
The assault weapons ban being removed is the first time any gun control law has been removed from the books.
No new gun laws were even put forth.
Expect that to end with Brady now emboldened and changing the rhetoric to 'sensible' gun laws and anti-gun violence not anti-gun (as if the gun causes the violence)
GOP gun owners got spoiled under a GOP controlled Gov't.
Let's look at the bright side. It's time to re-stock. It's been a long time since our gun rights were threatened.
Pleeze don' t'row us inta dat br'ar patch!
You're trying to brush the Republicans' misfeasance under the rug.
The Republican Congress did nothing, when it should have been attempting to repeal decades worth of 'Rat malfeasance.
The leadership of the Republican Party need to get through its thick skull that being anti-freedom big-government socialists (just not as much so as the Democrats) is not supporting the interests of the conservatives they depend on.
IOW, don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.
The last time they tried that (Brady Bill-1993, Assault Weapon ban-1994)*, they wound up losing both houses of congress. The only question is will they learn from previous history?
*(of course, those two gun control laws werent the ONLY reasons why they lost congress. There was also the tax hikes, Hillarys attempt at socialist health care takeover, all the mini scandals that occured soon as they stepped into office...travelgate, etc)
No new gun laws were even put forth.
That's false. In fact, a renewal of the 1994 Ugly Gun Ban was actually voted on in February 2004. It was defeated.
Brady now emboldened and changing the rhetoric to 'sensible' gun laws
No kidding ... a 12 year hiatus on new gun laws is better than a kick in the nuts ... but its over. Meantime, what did 12 years of Republican Congress actually gain us? What gun laws were repealed?
The Republican Party needs to come up with a better plan than "we'll do nothing" if it wants to be restored to power.
Mosquitos bite. Tornados destroy trailer parks. Democrats ban guns.
It's what they do. They can't help it.
Doing nothing is courageous when the Left was making every effort to bring it to a vote.
Delay, as Majority leader made sure it didn't get voted on so it could not be renewed.
No new gun laws were even put forth. That's false. In fact, a renewal of the 1994 Ugly Gun Ban was actually voted on in February 2004. It was defeated.
Well, that is not a new gun law now is it?
Brady now emboldened and changing the rhetoric to 'sensible' gun laws No kidding ... a 12 year hiatus on new gun laws is better than a kick in the nuts ... but its over. Meantime, what did 12 years of Republican Congress actually gain us? What gun laws were repealed?
The Gun law that was removed from the books was the Assault Weapon Ban.
Moreover, Bush instructed the AG to deal with gun issues as 2nd Amendment right issues.
The Republican Party needs to come up with a better plan than "we'll do nothing" if it wants to be restored to power.
Doing nothing is what Gov't is suppose to do in most cases, and if Gov't did less we would all be better off.
We did not have the votes in the Senate to do anymore.
You guys seem to forget that we had an opposition Party to deal with and we did not have overwhelming majorities.
But enjoy the new Congress.
Lets see how well they do on guns, taxes, spending, defense, intelligence gathering etc.
I am sure it will be much better then the GOP did.
Yes, it is. The existing law forbad the manufacture of ugly guns and big magazines for a period of ten years. The new law would have extended that ban indefinitely.
Why do you not understand the meaning of the word "repealed"? I asked for an example of the Republican Congress repealing a gun law. I'm looking for and example of the Republican Congress actively supporting the interests of gun-owners. I don't believe there is one. Allowing the 1994 ugly gun ban to expire is, at best, an example of passive support.
and if Gov't did less we would all be better off.
I agree. Unfortunately, we've long since reached the point that for the government to actually do "less" requires the Congress to do "something": namely, repealing a bunch of bad laws.
You guys seem to forget that we had an opposition Part
I speak for myself, alone, and I forget nothing. I don't see why you (speaking for yourself, alone) feel obliged to defend the Republican Congress' record of doing nothing when it should have at least been trying to repeal decades' worth of bad laws.
But enjoy the new Congress.
Highly unlikely. I didn't vote for it. I did, however, predict it. I'm actually surprised that the Republicans held on as long as they did.
Who knows ... maybe in the next two years they'll grow a spine.
IOW, don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.
I believe it goes, Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.
I've heard several variations ... I think it depends on what part of the country you're from.
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