Posted on 12/07/2007 6:03:10 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Iowans should press presidential candidates for their views on assault weapons in light of Wednesday's shopping-mall massacre in Omaha, a national gun-control advocate said Thursday.
Most Democratic candidates support reinstating a federal assault-weapons ban that expired in 2004.
Most Republican candidates oppose reinstating the ban, saying it was ineffective.
Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said Thursday that the 30-round ammunition clips Robert Hawkins reportedly used in Wednesday's shootings in Omaha would have been illegal to purchase under the assault-weapons ban.
Helmke said it was not clear whether the gun itself, described as an AK-47-style assault rifle, would have been covered by the ban. But it should be illegal, he said.
"If this is something that can take a 30-round clip and fire them off quickly, it should be banned. This is a weapon of mass murder," he said.
Hawkins used the rifle to kill eight people and wound five before killing himself, police said. He reportedly stole the gun from his stepfather.
The assault-weapons ban was passed in 1994 and allowed to lapse a decade later. It covered purchases of specific models of guns and certain accessories, including clips that held more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
Helmke said Iowans should demand responses from the presidential candidates campaigning before the caucuses. He said they should ask why Americans are allowed to buy guns designed for the military.
"Basically, should the public be able to get the types of guns we use in Iraq?" he said.
State Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, who is a board member of the National Rifle Association, urged people not to rush to judgment while police investigate the Omaha shootings.
Baudler said every time such a tragedy happens, NRA supporters expect to hear calls to toughen gun-control laws.
But he contended that if the killers didn't have guns, they would use another type of weapon.
"When you have a lunatic that's bent on becoming famous and wants to be remembered, you're going to have problems, whether it's a gasoline bomb or any type of device. ... It comes back to the lunatic," he said.
Baudler added that the 30-round clips reportedly used in Omaha take less than two seconds to replace, so a smaller-capacity clip would not have slowed the shooter very much on Wednesday.
Earlier this fall, The Des Moines Register surveyed presidential candidates about their stances on gun control.
Democrats Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Barack Obama said they would support reinstating the assault-weapons ban.
Democrat Bill Richardson and Republicans Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson said they would not support reinstating the ban.
Several of them said they opposed the ban because they thought it was ineffective.
Republican Rudy Giuliani's campaign declined to specifically answer the question, but Giuliani supported the ban when it was enacted in 1994.
Helmke, the gun-control advocate, said the Republican candidates appear to have more differences over the issue than their Democratic counterparts.
Although they do not talk much about it as candidates, he said, Romney and Giuliani were relatively supportive of gun control in their previous jobs as governor of Massachusetts and mayor of New York City. McCain also has been relatively moderate on some gun-control issues, Helmke added.
He said it was not clear whether other restrictions, such as bans on sales of guns to mentally ill people, would have affected the outcome of Wednesday's shooting.
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Reporter Tony Leys can be reached at (515) 284-8449 or tleys@dmreg.com
Simple. The constitutution doesn’t specify type of arms.
Is this like banning pistol grips on rifles because they supposedly allow criminals to spray a room with bullets like in a Hollywood movie?
Ask anti-gun nuts why they don’t know anything about guns.
Also, “assault rifle” as used in the USA today is an invented term.
I went to high school with Paul Helmke. He is an ass.
Steve Zweig
North Side HS ‘67
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
LOL! Same old Julieannie.
only production thereof i believe. you can still get an fbi class 3 tag if your record is clean.
Libs know. Propagandists such as helmke use this misinformation to further their goal of banning all guns. Advocacy groups such as this openly admit that they want and intend to do to the US what was done to the UK.
Hand them in Mr and Mrs America
.
Obviously a 12 gauge pump would not have been dangerous at all
How come the punk cop gunning down six with his m16 did not get the same type of attention.
I suspect that a person in that mall that had the right to carry a gun could have ended that shooting spree after one or two shots were fired.
“Same crap as here in Virgina after Va, Tech. But not one word about tightening up on the whack jobs that let mental cases run the streets.”
And still no mention of the mall being a “gun free zone” (for law abiding citizens)in a state that allows it’s citizens to cary concealed weapons. Had there been even one capable armed private citizen within range of this animal the story would have a happy ending.
“Democrat Bill Richardson and Republicans Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson said they would not support reinstating the ban.”
Mitt Romney caught in another lie!
Check the transcript of the 2nd debate. Romney clearly states he supports an AWB!
Civilians have ALWAYS in the past had beter firearms than the Military.
In the 1700’s, the military used the smooth bore flintlock musket. Civilians used super accurate flintlock rifles.
When the miitary adopted a flintlock rifle the civilians were using percussion cap rifles that didn’t misfire.
When the military adopted a percussion cap rifle civilians were already using breech loading cartridge rifles.
During the Civil War the military used anything that would shoot but afterward they adopted a single shot breechloading cartridge rifle. Civilians were using rapid fire lever action rifles, pumps, bolt actions and were experimenting with self-loading rifles and machineguns.
Wehn the military adopted a really good bolt action rifle many civilians were already using European versions as their hunting rifle.
When the military adopted a really good self loading rifle many civilians clammered for one also, even though they had better bolt actions.
When the military adopted the m-14 and later the m-16 they r then surpassed civilians in what they could own.
Civilians had to settle with semi-auto versions and in some retarded states even those were banned.
In all that time the Military and police NEVER claimed to be “outgunned” till the last few years.
I always remember Harry Tracy who piled up dead lawmen like cordwood with only a 30-30 Winchester and a Colt single action pistol.
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