Nutter, Rendell want assault-weapons ban - NRA says they exploit Liczbinski death (new federal AWB!)

Philadelphia Daily News ^ | May. 9, 2008 | CATHERINE LUCEY

[neverdem]

Days after a Philadelphia police sergeant was killed with a semi-automatic rifle, Mayor Nutter and Gov. Rendell called upon Congress to enact a new federal assault-weapons ban that would remove such weapons from the streets.

"The time has come for politicians to decide," said Rendell at the City Hall news conference attended by top police brass and state elected officials. "You have to decide whether you're on their side - the men and women who wear blue - or whether you're on the side of the gun lobby."

The federal assault-weapons ban, which lasted from 1994 through 2004, outlawed an array of military weapons and semi-automatics that fire and automatically reload when the trigger is pulled.

The expired bill would not have outlawed the Chinese-made SKS Carbine - outfitted with a 30-round detachable magazine - used to kill Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski Saturday.

But a new version of the legislation, currently languishing in the House of Representatives, specifically lists "SKS with detachable magazine" as a banned weapon.

Supporters of the federal ban said that the restrictions made it harder to obtain illegal weapons. But critics argued that loopholes in the ban made it easy to modify deadly guns to keep them legal.

Rendell and Nutter have sent a letter to the state's representatives and senators in Washington. In it, they ask for a new assault-weapons ban, but do not back a specific piece of legislation.

Nutter said that the city just needs help.

"Those weapons have one goal and use in mind," Nutter said. "They are to destroy human beings and do it as quickly and as dangerously and in as devastating a fashion as possible. I stand here with Governor Rendell and members of the general assembly to ask for help. Our state and federal legislators need to pass laws that protect citizens and do not protect criminals."

Two local legislators are already showing their support. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah co-sponsored the new version of the assault-weapons ban. And U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak this week added his name to the list of co-sponsors.

Sestak said that after the Liczbinski slaying he decided to see if he could "bring a light to a piece of legislation that hasn't been moving around. Let's add our name to it and try to move this further down the road."

Nutter also criticized the National Rifle Association, saying they should support this effort.

"The National Rifle Association must explain to the public how they can stand behind criminals who have access to these kind of weapons while purporting to protect the Second Amendment right," he said.

NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said it was "sad to see [Rendell and Nutter] stoop to this level to exploit the death of a police officer."

He said that new laws weren't needed. Instead he questioned why someone like accused killer Eric Floyd - who has a long criminal history and fled a halfway house earlier this year - was out on the street.

"The most important thing for residents in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania is to ask their governor and their mayor what career criminals are doing out on the street," he said. "The problem in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania is violent criminals get multiple chances."

Yesterday's news conference grew contentious when a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter questioned whether the SKS Carbine was technically an assault weapon, noting that the National Rifle Association disagreed with the classification and that a search on www.wikipedia.com brought up information saying it was not.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey then got into the mix.

"I don't care about Wikipedia or any other kind of pedias," he said. "If it's not an assault weapon by definition, then add it to the freaking list."

Meanwhile, gun-control advocacy group CeaseFire PA sent a letter to Pennsylvania gun-shop owners Wednesday, asking them to voluntarily stop selling the SKS Carbine. Nutter and Rendell said that they supported the effort.

Fred Delia, 69, owner of Delia's Gun Shop, on Torresdale Avenue near Benner Street, sells the weapon. He said he would not honor such a request.

"I don't want to see any of the police get shot," Delia said. But, he added, "them guns have been sold for the last 20 years."

Delia, who has run his shop for 39 years, said gun-shop owners are being unfairly targeted.

"I understand they're getting mad in the city," he said. "They have to get to the source of this. It's drugs, it's judges." *

[neverdem]

Please, bring it on!

[jrd]

we have a couple thousand gun laws now one more is not going to solve the problem

[DCBryan1]

Paging Henry Bowman!!

remember what happened to the politician???

[Mr. Mojo]

enact a new federal assault-weapons ban that would remove such weapons from the streets.

Thing is, it wouldn't. ....and they know it.

[jrd]

we have a couple thousand gun laws now; that are not enforced; one more is not going to solve the problem

[4yearlurker]

I know a lot of folks in PA. who own guns and hunt. They all couldn't vote for Rendell fast enough. I told them when fast Eddie was running for his first term as Gov. that he was a gun grabber.

Union zombies.

[CGASMIA68]

Yup....Glad the drug laws keep the drugs off the street

[messierhunter]

So stupid I don't know where to begin. I think this is the revealing point of the issue though:

"The expired bill would not have outlawed the Chinese-made SKS Carbine."

So by bringing the bill back they're not actually going to do anything about removing illegally owned weapons in the hands of criminals, they're just hoping that this time they can make some more weapons illegal to own... This is plainly evident by the fact that they want to change the bill now to specifically ban the SKS carbine. Do they really think we're so stupid as to believe the premise that outlawing guns will do anything to remove them from criminals who shouldn't have them in the first place? Do they think we're stupid enough to believe that this one specific model of assault rifle is responsible for a high percentage of police killings? It's completely obvious that it's just a stupid knee-jerk tactic designed to throw a thin veil of legitimacy to passing a bill designed to do nothing more than limit the liberty and freedom of law abiding citizens.

This bill as originally designed would have done NOTHING to prevent this killing, but even modifying it in this way would not change the ability of criminals to illegally obtain automatic rifles - at most it would just shuffle what kind of automatic they would wind up with. All a ban will do is make sure that criminals are the only ones with access to these weapons, and most likely the changes will not affect the ownership of pre-ban weapons anyway. Sadly, I suspect that if this last fact became well know, they would simply use it as an excuse to actually outlaw this class of weapon entirely rather than only affect the manufacture and sale of them.

[TLI]

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey then got into the mix. "I don't care about Wikipedia or any other kind of pedias," he said. "If it's not an assault weapon by definition, then add it to the freaking list."

DUMB

Meanwhile, gun-control advocacy group CeaseFire PA sent a letter to Pennsylvania gun-shop owners Wednesday, asking them to voluntarily stop selling the SKS Carbine. Nutter and Rendell said that they supported the effort.

Fred Delia, 69, owner of Delia's Gun Shop, on Torresdale Avenue near Benner Street, sells the weapon. He said he would not honor such a request.

"I don't want to see any of the police get shot," Delia said. But, he added, "them guns have been sold for the last 20 years."

Delia, who has run his shop for 39 years, said gun-shop owners are being unfairly targeted.

"I understand they're getting mad in the city," he said. "They have to get to the source of this. It's drugs, it's judges."

SMART

[2banana]

Days after a Philadelphia police sergeant was killed with a semi-automatic rifle, Mayor Nutter and Gov. Rendell called upon Congress to enact a new federal assault-weapons ban that would remove such weapons from the streets.

BTW - the thugs who did this were muslim ex-cons who got out of prison early. They robbed the bank dressed up like muslim women to sneak in the guns...

[neverdem]

BANG! This is such a predictable reaction, but I thought they were supposed to have learned their lesson to keep their gun grabbing schemes to state and local efforts and shut up otherwise.

[ctdonath2]

"SKS with detachable magazine"

But the standard non-detachable magazine version is, of course, harmless.

[Andonius_99]

"I don't care about Wikipedia or any other kind of pedias," he said. "If it's not an assault weapon by definition, then add it to the freaking list."

...and there you have it!

[Lord_Calvinus]

***”You have to decide whether you’re on their side - the men and women who wear blue - or whether you’re on the side of the gun lobby.”***

It is only among wacked out liberals that these are two different sides. Where I live, the police think that career criminals should be in jail FOREVER so we don’t have to worry about whether they have a wicked looking rifle.

[stevio]

Their suppressed glee that this officer was shot was obvious in their anti-gun rhetoric on the local news last night. Nutter and Rendell are utterly disgusting.

[neverdem]

They robbed the bank dressed up like muslim women to sneak in the guns...

Can you find that & link it?

[usurper]

"You have to decide whether you're on their side - the men and women who wear blue - or whether you're on the side of the gun lobby."

I have an idea lets ask the men and women who actually wear blue and not the various chief’s organization who are either appointed of elected politicians.

Very few street cops support these bans, all they want is to be allowed to carry the appropriate weapons by their departments.

[knarf]

This is just such a piece of $h!T !!

" .. enact a new federal assault-weapons ban that would remove such weapons from the streets."
NOTHING will come off the streets ... threy'll come out of the hands of citizens with the right to own them.

" "You have to decide whether you're on their side - the men and women who wear blue - or whether you're on the side of the gun lobby."
Bull$h!t !
He means ... the side of gendarmes or the citizens with the right to own guns.

"They are to destroy human beings and do it as quickly and as dangerously and in as devastating a fashion as possible. I stand here with Governor Rendell and members of the general assembly to ask for help. Our state and federal legislators need to pass laws that protect citizens and do not protect criminals."
Once again manipulating language and intent .... YOU, Eddy are part of the tyranical government the 2nd ammendment is in place against. .. Eddy is de facto begging for his life ... "Please don't shoot me ... and please help me from being shot"

"The National Rifle Association must explain to the public how they can stand behind criminals who have access to these kind of weapons while purporting to protect the Second Amendment right," he said."
More bull$h!t ... the NRA stands WITH Americans and we all accuse and prove it is you gummint people that stand behind and protect the criminals.

"The most important thing for residents in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania is to ask their governor and their mayor what career criminals are doing out on the street," he said. "The problem in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania is violent criminals get multiple chances."

You indict yourself, Eddy .... rather than we ask you ... why don't you answer it ... tell us ... why ARE criminals out on the streets? .. YOU'RE supposed to be the "strong arm".

Here we go again ....

[2banana]

Can you find that & link it?

Phila. police officer shot to death (thugs in "Muslim garb")

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010855/posts

[jersey117]

Where does Annie Oakley stand on this?