Sen. Harry Reid: Senate schedule too busy this year to debate gun control

[LAGC]

WASHINGTON — The White House made clear Thursday that new legislation on gun control will not be on the political agenda this election year, as President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney engaged in their most extensive discussions on the issue since last week’s Colorado theater shootings.

Their comments revived — if briefly — a sensitive debate that has faded to the background in national politics and been virtually nonexistent in this year’s close presidential race.

While Obama called for tougher background checks on Americans trying to buy a gun, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president is not pushing for new gun control legislation, though he still supports a ban on assault weapons. Carney said Obama intends to focus on other ways to combat violence.

Romney has said changing the nation’s laws would not prevent gun-related tragedies.

Sealing the matter, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday the Senate’s schedule is too packed to even have a debate on gun control. Asked if the Senate might debate the issue next year, Reid said: “Nice try.”

http://www.rgj.com/viewart/20120726/NEWS12/307260096/Sen-Harry-Reid-Senate-schedule-too-busy-this-year-to-debate-gun-control

Senator Reid is the reason Democrats still control the Senate. He's a savvy politician and knows better than to embarrass rural Democrats in an election year, or any other year for that matter.

Stricter gun control in this country is going nowhere fast so long as he remains Senate Majority Leader.

And the only way we're going to re-take the House of Representatives is with the help of rural Democrats. And not many of them have an appetite for stricter gun control either.

[russspeakeasy]

1. Savvy, or slick ?

[DCBob]

2. The reality of gun politics is disturbing.

Its seems no matter how bad it gets nothing will be done. Sad.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. The reality of mental health care is disturbing.

Its seems no matter how bad it gets nothing will be done. Sad.

[DCBob]

4. what's with the snarky response??

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. what was snarky about it? do you not think that the state of mental health care in this

country is disturbing? The state of Health Care in general in this country is a sad state of affairs. Wouldn't you agree?

[Hoyt]

9. Mental health funding will never improve as long as people directly or indirectly support NRA.

With right wing leadership like Grover Norquist, the NRA supports right wing causes like no tax increases to fund needed programs like mental health.

In any event, since mental health programs are lacking, we better make sure folks don't get weapons with only one real use -- killing a lot of people, quickly, ergonomically, efficiently, etc.

[ErikO]

12. I agree

and there are plenty of other pro-RKBA groups that should get more support.

SAF.org, theliberalgunclub.com are amongst them.

Actually funding the mental health initiatives of the '80's would go a LONG way to stopping folks like the Aurora Shooter, Gabby Gifford's shooter and the other spree killers that I refuse to name so they don't get more of the notoriety they crave.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. sorry but, your premise is wrong. Link for you

White House gives cool welcome to bill restricting online ammo sales

The White House gave a cool welcome on Monday to Democratic legislation that would effectively ban online or mail-order purchases of ammunition in the aftermath of the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater.

"I haven't seen the specific piece of legislation that has been offered up today," spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at the daily press briefing. "But as that and other pieces of legislation make their way through the legislative process, we'll evaluate them."

The proposal, crafted by Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg and Democratic Representative Carolyn McCarthy, aims to restrict the ability of Americans to buy unlimited quantities of ammunition over the Internet, or by mail order, anonymously.

President Barack Obama has called for a common sense response to the slaughter in Aurora. But the White House has played down his appetite for new legislation as opposed to tightening or toughening existing measures—such as background checks—to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals or the mentally ill. And the president has underlined his support for the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

more at link:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-gives-cool-welcome-bill-restricting-online-182934423.html

[Callisto32]

10. The reality that is disturbing is that you are ignoring reality and substituting your own.

"Nothing will be done"

That is demonstrably false, shit has already been done. Murder, assault, destruction of property et cetera and the inchoate versions of those acts are already fucking illegal. I guess we just need to make it more illegal-er, or something.

Tens of thousands of statutes regarding gun control and the enforcement thereof prove you are just blowing hot air....

Also, violent crime is at a low, and continues to fall so "how bad it gets" is kind of non sequitur, since it's getting better.

[Trunk Monkey]

6. I found this line quite interesting

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president is not pushing for new gun control legislation, though he still supports a ban on assault weapons. Carney said Obama intends to focus on other ways to combat violence.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. Obama is smart and Nancy and Harry both know that this is a voter issue. I hope that Obama

focuses on other ways to combat violence by pushing his Health Care Agenda even further as this would incorporate Mental Health which is the TRUE PROBLEM behind all the VIOLENCE.

GO OBAMA!!!!

[ErikO]

13. Good thing that

the Dems may have learned from 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010...

Oh wait, Loughner hasn't: S.3414's anti->10 bullet magazine Amendment.

Buncha dumb asses. Unless they are trying to kill the Cyber Crime bill, which would be fine with me.

[friendly_iconoclast]

8. Looks like the "better pure than in power" crowd won't get their way...

[hack89]

11. Translation: "we will not do stupid things in an election year." nt