Posted on 01/17/2013 8:09:51 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
PROVIDENCE — The Newtown massacre is giving fresh momentum to efforts to strengthen firearm laws in Rhode Island, with local leaders calling for a state ban on semi-automatic weapons and legislators vowing to look at gun access, mental health screening and other policies that might curb violence.
The push has gun rights supporters on a quiet defensive, determined to protect their right to bear arms while acknowledging that the slaughter in next-door Connecticut has made an already delicate political debate especially sensitive.
State Rep. Teresa Tanzi is one of those at the center of the debate. The South Kingstown Democrat said she was interested in tightening gun laws even before the Newtown shooting. She’s now talking with other lawmakers and state officials about crafting comprehensive changes to state laws. Tanzi said she’d like to see a ban on high-capacity magazines and assault rifles like the one used to deadly effect in Newtown, in which 20 children and six educators were gunned down by a man who also killed his mother and himself.
“When something is designed as a killing machine for people, I don’t see much civilian application for that,” Tanzi said.
State Rep. Michael Chippendale, R-Foster, said he and other gun rights supporters expected to see advocates for tighter rules seize on the Newtown tragedy to push their agenda. He said he hopes the conversation expected to play out over the 2013 legislative session stays constructive and inclusive.
“Knee-jerk reactions are not going to solve any problems,” he said. “We cannot sacrifice our rights.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thewesterlysun.com ...
Still no sparks yet though over those 40 million American kids who were murdered by abortions. That’s weird.
Tanzi, who supports tougher firearm restrictions, agreed. But she warned finding funding for better mental health programs could be more politically challenging than strengthening gun laws.
“Tackling the mental health issue is going to be the really difficult thing,” she said. “Because it costs money.”
And that summarizes the mindset of the liberal politician. Why do something that might actually help save children's and other innocent people's lives when you can just take away the rights of law abiding, and likely conservative citizens for free.
Another idiotic insinuation that “guns cause violence”.
Perhaps police cause crime and of course women cause rape.
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