July 11, 2004 9:14 AM

No home should be without one....

10-year ban on assault weapons likely to end: Congress nearly out of time to act before laws expiration

It’s hard for me to understand why the president won’t act. We know that there are shiploads of guns waiting to come into this country and be sold. And we know that when the ban expires they are going to appear in gunshops all over America. We also know that the domestic manufacture of the large ammunition feeding devices that make these weapons so deadly — in that you can fire dozens of rounds without having to reload — will begin again.

- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA

This absolutely boggles the mind. The ban on assault weapons is about to end, and the only question that can reasonably be asked is WHY??? These weapons have only one function- killing people. They have no place in a civilized society- unless we WANT them to be readily and legally available to murderers, psychos, and drug dealers.

WASHINGTON - The 10-year-old ban on the sale and manufacture of some assault weapons — a law once supported by President Bush — will likely end in September, largely because the White House did not lobby Congress to keep the law in place.

The administration has sent mixed signals about its support for the law, amid election year pressure by the National Rifle Association to do nothing.

As a result, Americans this fall will be able to again legally make and buy rifles such as the Colt AR-15, Steyr AUG, and the Beretta Ar70 and SC-70.

Bush said he backed extension of the assault weapons ban during his 2000 presidential campaign. The White House says his position has not changed, but the administration did not ask the House for a vote to send a bill to his desk.

"They knew not to because the votes are not there," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land.

Most Republican congressional leaders are adamantly opposed to extension of the gun control law that bans the manufacture and sale of 19 types of semiautomatic weapons and ammunition clips of more than 10 rounds.

Supporters are arguing that the bill has not kept automatic weapons out of the American marketplace, so there is no point in extending the law. Oh, OK...of course, if you suscribe to this logic, you could also argue that since child pornography laws haven't stopped the flow of kiddie porn, there is no reason that it should continue to be illegal. WTF??

You do not allow a law to lapse simply because it is "ineffective"- which, of course, is a highly subjective standard, depending on which side of the political fence you happen to find yourself. You find ways to strengthen a law, to close the loopholes, and to streamline enforcement procedures.

Yes, there ARE some significant loopholes in the assault weapons ban, loopholes that need to be addressed in order for the ban to have any credibility. But why throw the baby out with the bath water?

Harris County gun dealership owner Bill Carter Sr. is pleased the ban is about to end even though his four Carter’s Country outdoor stores don’t sell the guns that will become legal.

But Carter, president of the Texas Gun Dealers Association, also fears new legislation could include a ban on hunting rifles and violate gun owners’ rights. Those who want assault weapons banned insist they’re not targeting hunting rifles.

"I think it’s important that people who value their freedoms would not want the assault weapons ban continued," Carter said. "It’s just a political football between the gun control lobby and the NRA."

Carter and those who think like him should damn well know by know that this has NEVER been about banning weapons that have legitimate "sporting" functions. No one has ever seriously discussed banning hunting weapons (The Right to Bear Arms, don'tcha know....). A ban on hunting weapons wouldn't stand a chance in this Congress. What we're talking about here is banning weapons whose sole function is murder and mayhem. Or perhaps the NRA and the Republican Party are OK with that idea?

Being in the NRA's pocket as he is, George W. Bush will no doubt err on the side of money as opposed to doing the right thing. After all, it's all about winning, isn't it, George? Just as long as someone else is doing the dying....

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on July 11, 2004 9:14 AM.

Sounds like someone's getting a free ride was the previous entry in this blog.

Sounds like someone has a wee bit too much time on their hands, eh? is the next entry in this blog.

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