Weapons ban purely cosmetic

[Narf]

One of the more important Senate votes of the year took place this month. John Kerry even made it back to the Senate to cast his first vote all year.

The issue: extending the 10-year-old ban on assault weapons by attaching it as an amendment to a bill protecting gun manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits. Kerry and others framed it as a ban on dangerous military-style weapons that only criminals would use. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein called it an issue "as to whether the American people want AK47s, street sweepers and Uzis sold once again." With this kind of rhetoric, it's easy to misunderstand what an assault weapon actually is.

Ban proponents and the media certainly won't give people a straight definition of what they mean by assault weapons. Judging by the AK47 and Uzi references, it's easy to think that machine guns are being banned.

Full story here.

[Narf]

1. Basically, the assault weapons ban bans guns that look scary.

Best 'bottom line' summary yet.

[Narf]

2. Another telling quote:

Indeed, in 1988, the VPC's Josh Sugarmann wrote, "The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semiautomatic assault weapons - anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun - can only increase that chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons."

[mp40]

3. Zackly

How can anyone rationalize gun-control while looking at Chicago, DC, LA, NY..... It does not work and never will. That baby is going to Sunset!!!!!!!!!!

[Narf]

4. I don't think Kerry can afford to alienate gun owners...

It may have been one of the big contributors to Gore's defeat in 2000. It's a very important election year and any move by the Democrats that looks even remotely like "gun grabbing" will hurt them more than help.

[Narf]

7. There CAN'T be any gun crime in D.C., NYC, Chicago, etc.

There is no gun crime in D.C, NYC, or Chicago! Guns are illegal, therefore no one would dare use one to commit a crime. All of your lies will be exposed, infidel!

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Narf]

6. What, exactly, is a "man killer" weapon?

I COULD kill someone with my single shot, bolt action .22, but it's perfectly legal. I COULD kill someone with the baseball bat in my closet, or the car in my garage, but they're perfectly legal.

Whether or not a gun has a bayonet lug, or a flash supressor, or a folding stock makes not one iota of difference in it's ability to fire a bullet. A gun can only kill someone if another someone points it at them and pulls the trigger.

[MrSandman]

8. A major point...

"The Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer, who's pro-gun control, admitted that the ban's "only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation." The ban erodes respect for the right of the people to keep and bear arms."

http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/2004/03/25/Opinions/Weapons.Ban.Purely.Cosmetic-640680.shtml

[solinvictus]

9. Krauthammer

Yep, and I'd like to see him, George Will, and his ilk have the physical courage to come from behind their sniping keyboards and take on the task of confiscation themselves.

[MrBenchley]

10. Yes, that's why the NRA killed its own bill

when the amendment was attached to the liability bill it had been moving heaven and earth for...because it was strictly cosmetic. <snicker>

I'll bet the other students laughed their asses off when they read soimething this silly in their student newspaper.

[Young Socialist]

11. the reason the NRA killed it

is because their members told them it was more important to have no AWB than to protect the gun industry. if you read American Rifleman you'd know that NRA stands more for the rights of its individual members than the gun industry.

[slackmaster]

12. AWB makes no difference to the gun industry

It costs them no more to make post-bans and firearms that aren't even close to AWs than it costs to make pre-bans; their profits are not impacted by the ban.

[MrBenchley]

13. Gee, who actually believes the crap the NRA publishes?

There's a BIG laugh.

[Wickerman]

14. Locking

we've all heard the sad tale of the banned weapons, dicrimintated on solely for their appearance. I know each of you have written your elected officials to make certain this travesty not be wllowed to continue so I think I will lock this so you all have time to fire off another round of letters.

Thanks, and happy Saturday