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S.659 is still languishing in the Senate. Its title is the Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act, IIRC. It is intended to protect firearm manufacturers from bogus lawsuits.

"Mulder" was kind and gracious enough to provide me with the hyperlink on this thread so I could figure out what pubbies declined to co-sponsor this bill. I've been lurking long enough to recognize the names of the most vigilant RKBA folks I recall. Anyone reading this whose name I didn't remember and ping, please pardon me.

FYI & FWIW this is primarily for those who live in the states or know folks who live in states of the named senators who sponsored or declined to sponsor S.659 as best as I could determine.

Republicans who declined to co-sponsor: John McCain(AZ), Lincoln Chafee(RI), Mike DeWine(OH), Peter Fitzgerald(IL), John Warner(VA) and Richard Lugar(IN). Fitzgerald declined to seek a 2nd term next year, and both Warner won re-election running un-opposed and Chafee won his first term in an overwhelmingly rat state in 2002, IIRC. I don't know if any of the rest are running next year. If five pubbies also co-sponsored, then there would be the votes for a quorum and no filibuster, as the sponsor Larry Craig has a total of 54 co-sponsors.

Democrats who were co-sponsors: Max Baucus(MT), John Breaux(LA), Tom Daschle(SD), Byron Dorgan(ND), Tim Johnson(SD), Mary Landrieu(LA), Blanche Lincoln(AR), Zell Miller(GA), Ben Nelson(NE) and Harry Reid(NV). Johnson and Landrieu won re-election last year and Daschle is up for next year. I think Lincoln won in 98. Miller declined to go for a full term. The remainder are probably also up for re-election.

I must confess I volunteered for McCain in 2000 because I thought he would be better for the RKBA than GWB. I'm not a registered pubbie. So much for my political instincts. But I think if it doesn't get wrapped up soon , then it might get entangled with the AWB.

I know you didn't mean it, but you are implying what they did was rational. I'm sure we agree that what they think is rational is undermining the RKBA.

Heavens no, I don't think the AWB is in any way rational! All I was trying to say was that the gun grabbers didn't like semi-automatic rifles that look like assault rifles, but couldn't define anything about them that was any different functionally than the "less evil" hunting rifle.

Semi-auto operation? Nope, "legit" hunting rifles are in semi-auto as well. Caliber? Nope, there are sporting rifles in each of the popular calibers. Detachable Magazine? Nope, many sporting rifles have detachable magazines. So the only thing left were flash suppressors, bayonet lugs, etc. to distinguish the "hated" guns from the "barely tolerated - for now" guns.

How many people have been murdered by a flash supressor?