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Aw Ban Renewal In Doubt


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From SFGate.com

 

Washington -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein knows the odds are increasingly daunting as she tries to win congressional renewal of her 10-year-old assault weapons ban before it expires Sept. 13, and she warns that if the law lapses "you can expect the market to become flooded'' with such guns as AK-47s and Uzis.

 

The California Democrat will be home in San Francisco on Tuesday to join her colleague Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in marking the 11th anniversary week of the 101 California St. shootings that killed eight people and left six others wounded. The shootings helped persuade Congress to pass the assault weapons ban a decade ago. A frustrated Feinstein is looking toward November's elections to produce a president and a House leadership more supportive of gun control.

 

"I really believe passionately in this,'' Feinstein said in an interview about her bid for the renewal. "I'm not going to give up.''

 

Feinstein won a momentary victory on March 2 when the Senate voted 52-47 to adopt the renewal as an amendment to a gun manufacturers' liability shield legislation backed by the National Rifle Association. But the NRA scuttled the entire bill when it told its supporters that it didn't want the liability shield, which was the industry's main legislative goal for the year, to pass with Feinstein's assault ban amendment.

 

Feinstein is searching for another piece of legislation to serve as a vehicle for her amendment, which bans the manufacture and sale of 19 types of semiautomatic weapons and ammunition clips of more than 10 rounds. But there are only about 20 legislative days left in Congress before Sept. 13, and even if the bill passes the Senate, the House Republican leadership has said it won't allow the renewal to come up for a floor vote.

 

The NRA and other elements of the powerful gun lobby say the Feinstein's assault weapons ban has been ineffective and violates what they consider Americans' Second Amendment rights to own guns. The groups have lobbied vehemently to keep the legislation from reaching the floor.

 

On its legislative action Web site, the NRA tells its members it is girded for action. "The stage is now set for a showdown, and you can be sure we're in for a sustained political battle over the next three months,'' it said.

 

During his 2000 campaign, President Bush pledged to sign a renewal of the assault weapons law, a pledge repeated since then many times by Bush spokesmen. But Feinstein and her allies blast the president for not lobbying Congress to pass the bill.

 

"The president has done nothing,'' Feinstein said. "His party is in control and is controlled by the gun industry.

 

"We need a president who doesn't want assault weapons on our streets,'' added Feinstein, who warned that after the ban ends, "you can expect more incidents'' such as the July 1, 1993, shootings at 101 California in which a gunman used two TEC-9 semiautomatic weapons on a rampage through the office tower. The guns were among those banned under the law passed narrowly the next year.

 

Feinstein said the percentage of assault weapons used in crimes has fallen by two-thirds since the legislation took effect. Opponents, using a separate set of statistics, say such weapons were used in 2 percent of violent crimes before 1994, a figure that has remained constant.

 

Robert Spitzer of the State University of New York at Cortland, who has studied gun legislation, said Feinstein can claim some success.

 

"There is truth in that the assault weapons ban put a partial brake on guns and that effect will be gone after Sept. 13,'' he said.

 

Even with the law in effect, semiautomatic weapons have been readily available since 1994 through the largely cosmetic changes manufacturers have been allowed to make to keep their guns on the market. Hundreds of types of semiautomatics remained legal.

 

Also, as Feinstein points out in response to critics who say she is out to seize their weapons, all pre-1994 guns are still legal.

 

None of the arguments matter to the rifle association. The group's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, told the NRA annual convention in Pittsburgh in April that once Sept. 13 comes, Feinstein's law will be history.

 

"I'm here to promise you that's the end of it. It's over,'' he said. "On Sept. 14, the sun will rise and it will never see the light of day again as long as we stay strong.''

 

On the NRA's new radio program, host Cam Edwards has told listeners that he expected Feinstein and her supporters to claim that the law's demise would mean a flood of guns, a claim he described as false.

 

"What you are going to hear in the media is the line that there'll be Uzis in the hands of terrorists. ... There will be an effort to paint it as an antiterrorism bill,'' he said on Thursday's program.

 

For Bush, the fading chances that the ban renewal will reach his desk is good news, said Richard Feldman, a lobbyist for gun manufacturers.

 

"It would be close to his political death if he signed it before the election,'' he said, because gun rights supporters would take it out on him at the polls, probably by staying away rather than voting for Bush's Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who voted for the ban's renewal.

 

"Come January, it's a different story. Then, if he's re-elected, he'd be forced to sign the bill, if he gets a clean one that just contains an extension of the existing law,'' Feldman said.

 

Feinstein and her allies are trying to stir up public interest in the debate, but it's hard in a political climate where the war in Iraq, the battle against terrorism and economic concerns are at center stage. "Those three issues loom large and will dwarf any others,'' Spitzer said.

 

In such a climate, the rifle association and other gun lobbies gain political traction because their adherents tend to be single-issue voters who can punish those in Congress who support the assault weapons ban or other gun control measures.

 

That's one reason that even Feinstein admitted that some House members are breathing a sigh of relief that they won't have to vote on her legislation this year, going into tough races in some closely divided districts.

 

But she insists she will persist.

 

"Right is on our side. Public opinion is on our side. It's only the sheer power of the gun lobby that stands in the way,'' Feinstein said.

 

E-mail Edward Epstein at eepstein@sfchronicle.com.

 

 

 

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It's not the gun lobby--it's all of us right-thinking Second Amendment supporters putting the pressure on our Congressthings, "holding their feet to the fire."

 

It's not the NRA--it's the milllions of gun owners who see where this NFA/GCA/AWB crap is leading and don't want any piece or part of it.

 

Good work, people.

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QUOTE (nedry @ Jun 28 2004, 04:42 PM)


It's not the NRA--it's the milllions of gun owners who see where this NFA/GCA/AWB crap is leading and don't want any piece or part of it.

Good work, people.

Who is the NRA? I am, and hopefully you, and everyone on this board is....'

 

So yes it is the NRA.... I can't give numbers but I'm willing to bet that the majority of letter writing, emailing, phone calling gun owners are also NRA members....

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Is this the one big cause in this lady's life?
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QUOTE (Sgt @ Jun 28 2004, 05:01 PM)
Is this the one big cause in this lady's life?

Without a doubt it is her life goal, and her desired legacy.... Make no mistake about it... she wants your Thompson, and every other gun you own made into statues of her likeness proclaiming victory over the evil gun owners of Amerika......

 

And it is my life goal to destroy any chance at her obtaining that legacy!!! I hope it is yours too....

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Here is an interesting and infuriating article on the Clintons latest swing through the 'left coast,' to rally the troops, no doubt!!! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif The link is on the front page of The Drudge Report: http://www.drudgereport.com Here is a priceless quote from Hilary: "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif Spoken like a true communist! She was refering to repealing the Bush tax cut, but she may as well have been speaking of our guns, our houses, and our lives. What is the difference? In the last few days in Western New York there have been two hammering deaths (one in Niagara Falls and one in Buffalo)!!! You read that right! It seems that since guns have been a little harder to come by, here in N.Y., the low-lifes are using the standard carpenter's hammer to dispatch their prey!!! Thank-you Senators Clinton and Schumer! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ph34r.gif Regards, Walter

 

P.S. The savvy investor/ speculator will now dutifully head out to their nearest hardware store (Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) to clean the hammer displays out...future hammer greed, don't you know!!!...wink! A $10.00 hammer is today worth $1,000.00 to our Federal Government and wise government contractors. Yeah, rent a truck...load up...tommorow you will be a billionaire!!!...Selling to the government and the dirtbags infesting our streets... Yes, by supplying both sides, you will clean-up!!!...Wink...!!! The scum will even pay $5,000.00, since the stores are all empty...and you still have your trusty Tommygun...for protection...Wink!!! (Sorry Ron, I couldn't resist winking a few times! [Hammer greed=$$$!!!] http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif

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Very well spoken Phil!

 

Copy Phil's post and send it to all of the anti-gun coalition.

 

Perhaps if they focus on "hatchmers" they will forget that firearms even exist.

 

Funny thing that you all post this information at this time, because I just bought 10 "hatchmers" they aren't originals though.

 

The steel on mine is mild enough that I could strike serial numbers on them. So hurry, HURRY, get your consecutive numbered "hatchmers" today, before they need registered.

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Received this via email today

 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the champion of the ill-conceived "assault weapons" ban appears to have essentially given up on getting a renewal passed before the ban expires in September, acknowledging that, "while the ban has 52 votes in its favor in the Senate, it is unlikely to pass in the House of Representatives."

 

While she may very well proceed with another attempt to get a renewal passed in the Senate, she is well aware that the House has expressed no interest in bringing the measure up, and even if it does make it to the floor, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) is confident the votes "are not there" for the bill to succeed.

 

Feinstein is reportedly "looking toward November's elections to produce a president and a House leadership more supportive of gun control" and plans to launch a "nationwide effort" next year to pass a ban "similar" to (translation: more restrictive than) the current ban.

 

While it would be foolish to take her statements at face value, and assume that we have indeed won this round, it should be noted that the upcoming elections will be every bit as crucial to the 2002 elections that gave us the current congress. This battle will not be over on September 13th. The anti-gun crowd will be boiling over with bitterness over having lost on this issue, and will be lashing out to whoever is willing to listen.

 

At this point, the only hope for revitalizing the gun control movement, which has been foundering for several years, will be to get John Kerry elected president, and/or gain a significant number of seats in congress, so that a new "assault weapons" ban can be passed and signed into law.

 

In other words, DO NOT make the mistake of thinking that, if the ban does indeed expire in September, our work is done. It will, in fact, have only just begun, with a successful 2004 election being an integral part of ensuring our victory is not short-lived.

 

**************************************************************************

 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Neal Knox. I had wondered why it had been several months since receiving any of his Firearms Coalition update e-mails... turns out he is currently battling colon cancer, and this is temporarily preventing him from sending his regular updates. Our most sincere wishes for a speedy and full recovery, Neal. We miss you!

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.awbansunset.com

 

 

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What everyone should realize here is that there is money in her agenda...she is being paid quite well for crusading the antigun cause...she believes alright...in the almighty buck!...if she really believes in the Constitution,something she swore to due when she took office...she`d get off her leftist horse and give back all the money she took!... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif
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Allegedly, she claims to have given up her permit, and had her guns and several confiscated ones melted into a cross which she gave the Pope while visiting Rome. I'll believe it when I see it, though...

 

This was discussed at Packing.org a while ago, but now I can't find the thread. But we all know lefties, "Do as I say, not as I do..."

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Thanks for sharing that liberal propaganda, nedry and brian! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif I think every member of this board should read that piece of typical liberal thinking. I would certainly echo the thoughts of one of the guys on www.packing.org, when he said that you can't engage in a conversation with liberals, because they simply ignore the facts! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif Most of them also seem to be on drugs, or have never heard of logical argument. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Read that article guys, Walter
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PhilOhio, I couldn't agree more with you. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif You are a gentleman and a scholar. Now, I will second the motion, "Crush them!" http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif Regards, Walter

 

P.S. The best way to do that is with the vote, the pen and $$$'s!!! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

P.P.S. "A young man who is not a liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not a conservative has no brain!"-Sir Winston Churchill http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif

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Here is my reply to Mr. Morford:

 

QUOTE
Mr. Mark Morford,



I see that you are a communist for a newspaper there in San Fagcisco.  I happen to be a law-abiding citizen of the United States of America and a lawful gun owner.  Does that make me a terrorist wanna-be or a white supremacist?  I hunt with my rifles and I shoot for recreation with some of the others I have.  I have a license from a division of the IRS called the BATFE to collect old guns.  I also have a license to carry a handgun concealed.  I guess that makes me your enemy.  Why?  You are the closed minded.  We might be best friends if you didn’t know I owned a gun. 



Let me explain something about the assault weapons ban of 1994, AKA the Clinton Gun Ban.  It did not ban any “assault rifle” or gun on the list.  It did not ban any magazine size.  It did nothing.  It was a symbolic knee-jerk reaction that was a political move.  Nothing more.  From the very day that the ban went into effect, almost every state in the union still allowed the exact “banned” guns and magazines to be sold.  To this day, I can buy an AK47 for less than $300 and 30 round magazines for less than $7.  I can buy the AK 47 guns that were “banned” for around $800-$1,000.  These have the bayonet lug and flash hider instead of not having them (useless features for civilians anyway.)  None of these guns are machine guns.  You must pull the trigger one time for each shot.  The phrase “Assault Weapon” is a misnomer.  Baseball bats are assault weapons.  So are rocks.



All the “BAN” did was raise prices of weapons that were made PRIOR to the ban.  That’s it.  NOTHING MORE.  The day before the ban you could buy an AR15 with a 30 round magazine, the day after the ban you could buy an AR15 with a 30 round magazine, and you still can today almost 10 years later.  I am not talking about one that has been manufactured recently and has been changed cosmetically, but one that was made in 1994 before the ban.  WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE EXACT SAME GUN.  This includes the awful mean devastating UZI and Tec-9 (which are nothing but heavy, large pistols). 



It’s NOT my god given right to own a gun Mr. Morford, it’s a right that is constitutionally guaranteed and protected by the Bill of Rights in Amendment II.  Freedom of speech is NOT your God given right, it’s a right that is constitutionally guaranteed and protected by the Bill of Rights in Amendment I.

People don’t need guns to kill each other Mr. Morford.  We did that just fine with swords, bows and other weapons prior to the invention of gunpowder. 

 

You may have issues with the right, but leave guns out of it.  You are talking out of your knowledge.



John Titsworth, Jr.

 

Idiots never cease to amaze me.

 

 

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Right on, John! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif We all need to follow your excellent example and flood this stinking lib. with our well thought-out emails! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Best Regards, Walter
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Brian,

 

That link was a great insight into the mind of the self-labelled "progressive". Phrases like "knuckle dragging" ,"homophobic", "racist" to refer to anyone who is a member of the NRA just shows what kind of opposition we are up against.

 

I don' t mind the name calling as much as I mind the ranting of a completely ignorant guy with an ax to grind who has access to the media to influence others.

 

This is a perfect example of the view of those who prefer to have have their thinking done for them as they have no desire to find out the facts and draw their own conclusions.

 

"Ignorant and proud of it" ought to be their motto. WAIT A MINUTE! Isn't that how "they" define a redneck???

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Phil: Even though I agree with your asessment of our RINO Senators, I continue to send them pro gun letters and letters telling them how disappointed I am when support anti-gun legislation or they vote with the Democrates on gun issues. It may do no good, but who knows, if enough voters write them often and if they ever have a taken opponent in an election, it may cause them to rethink their position or neutralize them for that session. Wouldn't it be wonderful if progun groups could find someone electable to run against them.
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