Clear target of the assault weapon law

The Washington Times ^ | May 12, 2003 | Jacob Sullum

[Tailgunner Joe]

"The most critical improvement" to the federal "assault weapon" ban, according to the Violence Policy Center, "is to ensure that the term 'assault weapon' includes all guns that are, in fact, assault weapons." Don't think about that assertion too much; it might cause your head to explode.

[TigersEye]

We can stealthily let the AWB die, ...

We could have if the White House had remained silent. No one forced the Bush Administration to issue a statement.

[AnAmericanMother]

I'll grant you that Henry came around (after a disappointing start in the Revolutionary War) to be an excellent governor of Virginia. But Sam Adams as far as I am concerned was the equivalent of Al Sharpton - out there rabble rousing and getting people killed. (It's not his picture on the beer, by the way, it's Copley's portrait of Paul Revere, which has been altered several times over the life of the brand to look less like Paul and more like a generic modern American. It never looked like Sam. He was too ugly to sell beer with.)

We had counterbalance to Hamilton in Jefferson and Franklin and George Mason (my personal favorite). I don't imagine for a minute that Hamilton could have foreseen the fix we're in today. The Articles of Confederation had already proved a total failure when it came to running anything. . . . as it turned out the Constitution was the best workable plan at the time.

But if the Revolution had been left to the likes of Adams and Henry, it would never have gotten off the ground. Boston, New York, and maybe the Saratoga campaign would have been the end. Ideologues need counterweights to actually accomplish anything - they can lead the parade, but they can't do the grunt work.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We could have if the White House had remained silent. No one forced the Bush Administration to issue a statement.

No one issued a statement. Ari Fleischer answered a question from a member of the White House press corps.

[Gunslingr3]

Ideologues need counterweights to actually accomplish anything - they can lead the parade, but they can't do the grunt work.

Would Jefferson, Franklin or Mason sign a bill banning guns? Would they agree to do so publicly? That's grunt work I'd rather see Republicans not trying to accomplish. If you want to argue that Jefferson, et al were less radical than Sam Adams in bringing the question of American independence and liberty to a head, congrats, but I knew that, and it's not germane to a discussion of what our president has put himself on record supporting. I honestly can't believe you tried to draw an analogy between Al Sharpton and Samuel Adams. Wasn't calling him ugly enough?

[biblewonk]

This looks like a BW'ism. Follow the links back.

[biblewonk]

This is a good article with a sad lack of good Freeper commentary.

[AnAmericanMother]

You show me how Sam Adams, fundamentally and in his time, was any different from Al Sharpton.

He led a gang composed of the criminals and ne'er do wells of Boston. They not only attacked British officials such as tax collectors, but also people they didn't like. Some died. He was seen at the gathering point for the mob that attacked the Custom House right before the Boston Massacre - one of the witnesses identified him, and John Adams suppressed the information in court because it would have complicated his theory of defense severely to drag Sam in. (John essentially argued that the soldiers at the Customs House were attacked by criminals, the scaff and raff of the docks, and argued that they were from "out of town". . . . Crispus Attucks was from Marblehead IIRC.)

This is precisely germane to the president's situation. Absolutists can make speeches and lead mobs, but they can neither pass nor block legislation in a representative government. They serve a valuable purpose as the "bad cop" to the pragmatists' "good cop", and that is all they do as far as legislation is concerned.

And, if you'll look up the thread, the president's press secretary was responding to a question from a reporter. If he said "no" it would have provided a rallying point for the Dems. "Yes" means nothing because the bill is DOA. I don't think Mason would say such a thing, but if Franklin thought it would gain him political points he would do it in a New York (or Philadelphia) minute - he was a wiley old politician. Jefferson, I don't know. He was very anti-Federalist, but on the other hand he said some pretty outrageous things at times, was inclined to speak his mind without thinking first.

I will concede that Sam Adams wasn't as ugly as Al Sharpton . . . physically.

[Gunslingr3]

You show me how Sam Adams, fundamentally and in his time, was any different from Al Sharpton.

He was repeatedly elected by his constituents and argued on behalf of their freedom. All Sharpton has been elected to what? And argues that the federal government should be a tool for looting one group of citizens for the benefit of another group of citizens. Your analogy is flawed and disengenuous. It relies on presenting a series of half truths. I know of the other half.

[AnAmericanMother]

OK, let's compare him to Billy McKinney instead. :-D

Sam was a professional rabble rouser. The post-Revolutionary rehabilitation of his reputation has been pretty successful. But it is still true that "after independence was declared his influence declined; the radical was replaced by more conservative leaders, who tended to look upon Adams as an irresponsible agitator." (from the americanrevolution.com website).

American Revolutionary leaders are not fungible; Adams was on the fringe. Now, fringe leaders serve a useful purpose in getting the ball rolling, there is no doubt. But they do get "replaced" as soon as gains have to be consolidated and actual working relationships established.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"...the VPC is now claiming that from 1998 through 2001 "one in five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty was killed with an assault weapon." ..."

I'll bet this includes the friendly fire incidents when cops kill other cops with their MP5s or M16s. It happened in a training incident near where I lived.