NRA clout is outgunning Feinstein - Assault weapons ban renewal in doubt

[Kadie]

NRA clout is outgunning Feinstein
Assault weapons ban renewal in doubt

Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Monday, June 28, 2004


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.

more... http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/06/28/MNGQK7D4RU1.DTL

[xchrom]

1. gun control advocates will have to

become more savvy in their approach.
the nra is beating them at public relations and taking them to a standstill on mobilization.
once you cross a goal line it's always harder to maintain the winners status.

[JayS]

5. The old version of gun control is finally dying and a new one...

...is taking over. The Democratic Party will figure this out when it is far too late.

[FeebMaster]

12. I don't think they will.

I told the gun grabbers here on DU exactly how to get guns banned in the US. It was met with little else but cries about how they needed to get the AWB extended. They just weren't interested in any technical or legal details.

Gun grabbers in general have no idea what the current federal firearms laws are and they have absolutely no interest in reading them. Combine that with a complete lack of technical knowledge of firearms (especially the semi-auto vs machine gun issue) among most of them and you pretty much guarantee that they aren't going to get anywhere anytime soon. They might pull off an AWB extension or renewal after the election, but beyond that I don't think they'd even know where to begin.

Besides, for all the whining the gun grabbers in the Democratic party do about how the Republicans are pro-gun and the Democratic party needs to counter that, in reality it's the Republicans who have passed most of the federal gun control in the last 30 years or so. If the AWB is renewed before it expires it will have been done by a Republican president and Republican congress. In that case, the only federal gun control law passed in the last 30 years by a Democrat will be the Brady Bill.

[hightime]

29. complete lack of technical knowledge of firearms .You hit that on the head

as is evident even in the posts in this thread.

[delhurgo]

2. Very good news.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. NRA = KKK

:argh:

[JayS]

21. I think it fair to say that there is a difference between the two. n/t

n/t

[mbperrin]

4. Well of COURSE assault weapons make a society safer!

I know that our troops in Iraq are thankful that nearly every household there has an AK-47 handy to help out, right?

We ought to buy every household an AK-47 for every member of the family who can pull a trigger and issue them out at government expense. While we're at it, why not cut the taxes on alcohol to make it more affordable at the same time?

Pretty soon, we won't need as much health care, long term care for the elderly, or be as concerned with foreign events. We'll have plenty right here!

Hey, this IS brilliant!

[JayS]

28. What the ban deals with is not the same as what our troops...

...are facing in Iraq.

[jayfish]

6. Good. -NT-

Jay

[JayS]

7. I bet every Republican...

...pulls out their picture of Feinstein and gives it a big ol' kiss every time Feinstein makes the news.


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

[hansolsen]

19. Right as rain

Gun control laws in general and the AWB are Feinstein's Iraq, a fool's errand in search of an illusory goal that has not made us safer, and is costing the Democratic Party millions of lost voters, perhaps tens of millions.

Let it die a natural death -- good riddance

[saigon68]

23. She is not in touch with working people and union members

We (local democrats) have a very hard time educating 800,000 deer hunters that whack jobs like diane are not out to disarm them. That is why our fine democratic state was only won by 8000 votes by Gore the last time. I know strong union members who vote for chimpanzee bush because of guns. And entirely against their own economic self-interest on this issue alone.

Most gun clubs in Wisconsin now REQUIRE NRA membership as a condition precedent to belonging. That is why I no longer belong to a gun club. The NRA is an arm of the new NEOCON party.

Its time to forget about guns in this election

[greendeerslayer]

26. You're right on target

A previuos poster said the NRA was becoming more "savvy," actually the NRA is losing membership and clout. What is hapennning is most Americans are coming to the realization of the facts you state.
I hope the AWB does sunset, I'd like the AR-15s to drop in price back where an average working guy can afford one. Right now you'd have to be a rich yuppie to right a check for one.

[delhurgo]

8. On this issue its FeinSWINE, not Feinsein :-)

Kerry'll avoid this issue if he knows what's good for him. It'd be even better if he voiced some support for the 2nd Amend...guess thats outta the question now though - considering his stance in the primaries. Big Mistake.

[FeebMaster]

13. Too late.

[Romulus]

9. down with the (gun banning) ship

goes the Democratic Party - NOT!!!

I guess Feinstein and Boxer haven't "progressed" far enough if they still think it's agood idea to launch a "preemptive strike" on "crime" by harassing the non-criminals . . .

Edited to add, to the non-cognizant:

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.

"Allowed to make" = manufacturing in compliance with the so-called "ban," therefore any further pie-hole-widening about an impending new "flood" of firearms is just the passing of hot wind . . .

[JayS]

17. My guess is that if Kerry is elected the rest of the Fab Four will try...

...and push the same tired brand of gun control that has been pushed for decades. The hostile environment this will create will mean that there will be no good legislation passed and perhaps a repeat of 1994 in 2006.

[shadu]

10. will i be able to legally own a fully functional AK47 or M16?

[hightime]

11. You can now, with the proper paperwork.

[FeebMaster]

14. You can right now.

The AWB has nothing to do with machine guns.

[NickB79]

15. The AWB doesn't cover automatic weapons

They have been highly regulated since 1934. You can buy one, but you need thousands of dollars for the gun itself, not to mention a $200 tax for a Class 3 weapon, and a lot of red tape.

[Frangible]

16. I don't like the NRA but the AWB must die

Needless infringement on civil liberties for absolutely no reduction in crime. I disagree with Feinstein on this issue.

I don't own an "assault weapon", but I support the bill of rights and other's freedom to.

It's a silly law based on cosmetics.

I'd bet it gets renewed, though. I just hate to see that happen.

[Commendatori]

22. I'm with you on all counts.

A bunch of people will prattle on about weapons that were banned in the 1930's, but if you ask them to name any weapon mentioned in the AWB they clam up. I still laugh at the bill. I hope it sunsets.

[LoneStarBeaver]

18. Statistics?

What are the statistics on crimes committed with assault weapons before the first ban?

[DoNotRefill]

20. about the same as they are now....

very, VERY rare, as in well under 5% of crime.

The most popular gun used in crime is, of course, the handgun.

[Fovea]

24. If it goes under

we all need to go out and buy our Kalashnikovs.

[FeebMaster]

25. Why wait? They're available and legal now. (nt)

[Oreegone]

27. Want to get some gun control?

Along with your liberal bumperstickers make some up that say

Locked, Loaded and Liberal

Now that will scare them.