Ok, you guys, look at the alternative.
If you still think the difference is negligible, we must really have diametrically opposite views of what "difference" is.
Straight from the Gore 2000 platform.
VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE:
PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN FROM GUN VIOLENCE
As a member of Congress, and as Vice President, Al Gore has fought to keep dangerous guns out of the hands of criminals. He supported a ban on assault weapons, worked to craft a compromise on the Brady Bill, and has fought for additional penalties for gun-related crimes. In addition, the Vice President has been a vocal advocate for eliminating guns in our schools.
PROPOSING NEW MEASURES TO GET GUNS OFF THE STREET
Gore Has Proposed A Comprehensive Plan to Get Guns Off Our Streets. In a speech to the Boston Police Department, Vice President Gore announced his comprehensive plan to end gun violence. As part of this plan, a Gore Administration will:
Require Photo Licensing for Handgun Purchases. Al Gore will seek a nationally mandated, state-run system of photo licensing for all potential hand gun purchasers. Under the Gore proposal, anyone who wants to buy a handgun would have to have a license that would prove they are eligible to own a handgun (having passed a background check to prevent felons and the mentally ill from buying guns and demonstrated knowledge of gun safety).
Ban “Junk Guns.” Al Gore believes that we should ban so-called “junk guns,” the cheap handguns so often used in violent crimes.
Increase Gun-Related Criminal Penalties. Al Gore will work to increase penalties for gun-related crimes, including the use of a gun in a violent crime, illegal gun trafficking, and for knowingly selling a gun to someone ineligible to purchase one. In addition, Al Gore will provide grants to states to develop systems that will help to end plea bargaining for criminals who use a gun in a crime.
Limit Gun Sales to One-a-Month and Require a Three Day Waiting Period for Purchases. Al Gore believes that a one-gun-a-month limit and a three day waiting period for gun purchases are reasonable measures that can help reduce the number of guns on the street.
Close the Gun Show Loophole. Al Gore will continue to fight to close the loophole that has allowed gun shows to be exempt from the Brady Law.
Require Child-Safety Locks on Hand Guns. In an effort to save the lives of thousands of children, Al Gore will work to require child-safety locks on handguns.
Oppose Special Legal Protections for Gun Manufacturers. Al Gore will oppose efforts to provide special legal protections for gun manufacturers.
Oppose Weakening Restrictions on Concealed Weapons. Al Gore will oppose efforts to loosen existing limits on concealed weapons.
Improve Efforts to Trace Gun Ownership. Al Gore will require gun manufacturers and federally-licensed sellers to report gun sales to a state authority. This requirement would greatly assist law enforcement in tracing ownership of guns if they are used in a crime.
WORKING TO CLOSE THE GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE
Gore Cast the Tie-Breaking Vote to Close the Gun Show Loophole. Vice President Gore cast the tie-breaking vote to pass Senate legislation to close the loophole in existing law that has allowed gun shows to be exempt from the Brady Law, and to require background checks on individuals who seek to retrieve their own guns from pawn shops. Following Gore’s dramatic vote, Sarah Brady of Handgun Control Inc. wrote to the Vice President thanking him for his “continued leadership,” stating that “…once again you have come through at a crucial time for the cause of gun violence protection.”
SUPPORTING A BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS
Gore Voted to Ban 9 Types of Assault Weapons. As a Senator in 1990 and 1991, Al Gore supported legislation that would have banned the manufacture and importation of nine assault style weapons.
Gore was Instrumental in Securing Passage of the 1994 Crime Bill. As Vice President, Gore fought to enact the landmark 1994 Crime Bill, which included a provision banning nineteen types of assault weapons. As Gore told CNN: “We've got an epidemic of violent crime and a lot of members of the NRA have told me, these assault weapons weren't made for hunting deer or squirrels or for homeowners...They shouldn't be in the hands of our children on the streets of our cities.”
SUPPORTING THE BRADY LAW
Gore Praised by Sarah Brady for His Leadership in Supporting Brady Bill. In 1991, Sarah Brady of Handgun Control Inc. praised then-Senator Al Gore for his leadership in supporting the Brady Bill. As an original cosponsor of the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, Gore worked with Senators Mitchell, Kohl, and Biden to craft a compromise that helped include Brady Bill as part of the 1991 Crime Bill. However, the Crime Bill died after a Republican-led filibuster of the bill.
Brady Bill Became Law Under the Clinton-Gore Administration. The Brady Bill was eventually enacted as a stand-alone bill during the Clinton-Gore Administration, helping to block the sale of more than 400,000 handguns.
SUPPORTING TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR GUN-RELATED CRIMES
Gore Cosponsored Mandatory Minimums for Use of “Cop Killer” Bullets. In 1984, Gore cosponsored a bill to impose mandatory 5-year terms for those using armor-piercing bullets during the commission of a federal crime. That same year, he also co-sponsored a bill to provide for mandatory 15-year sentences for “armed career criminals.”
Gore Supported Tougher Sentences for Criminals Using Guns to Commit Crimes. As a Senator, Gore voted for a proposal to establish mandatory minimums for those who use or possess a firearm during violent or drug-related crime. Later that year, Gore voted for the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1991, which also included provisions to toughen penalties for using a gun during violent crimes and gun possession by felons.
Gore Supported the 1994 Crime Bill which Increased Penalties for Gun-Related Crimes. The Vice President was a vocal advocate of the landmark 1994 Crime Bill, which increased criminal penalties for a number of gun-related crimes. The 1994 law increased penalties for interstate gun trafficking, for using semiautomatic weapons in violent or drug trafficking offenses, and for making false statements when purchasing guns from federally licensed dealers. In addition, the law authorized the federal death penalty for murders committed with a gun during a federal drug or violent crime. Additionally, the 1994 Crime Bill strengthened federal requirements for obtaining a license to sell firearms.
WORKING TO REDUCE CHILDREN’S ACCESS TO GUNS
Gore Worked to Get Guns Out of Our Schools. In early 1994, Vice President Gore encouraged Congress to pass legislation that will help take guns out of schools. Congress later adopted, and the President signed, the Gun-Free Schools Act, which required all states that receive federal education funding to adopt policies requiring a mandatory 1-year expulsion for any student who brings a gun to school.
Fighting to Keep Handguns Out of the Hands of Our Youth. Vice President Gore and the Administration are fighting to pass the Youth Gun Crime Enforcement Act. This proposal by the Administration would:
Raise the minimum age to possess a handgun from 18 to 21.
CLOSE THE LOOPHOLE THAT ALLOWS THESE YOUTH TO PURCHASE A HANDGUN AT A GUN SHOW OR AN UNLICENSED DEALER EVEN THOUGH THEY COULD NOT DO SO FROM A LICENSED DEALER.
Prohibit juveniles from possessing assault rifles and large capacity ammunition feeding devices that were manufactured before the effective date of the assault weapons ban in 1994. Current law only prohibits these youth from possessing assault pistols.
An Advocate for Child Safety Locks. For nearly two years, Al Gore has been advocating mandatory child safety locks to protect children from handguns. While the Administration reached an agreement with a majority of gun manufacturers to voluntarily include gun locks in the sale of new guns, Gore believes further protections are needed and should be required. That is why he has called upon Congress to pass legislation that would require all guns that are sold to have a child safety lock.
STANDING UP TO THE GUN INDUSTRY
Gore Supports the Rights of Cities to Hold the Gun Industry Responsible. Vice President Gore supports the rights of local governments to sue gun manufacturers and sellers. Over the past year, several local governments – including New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami-Dade County – have filed lawsuits attempting to hold the gun industry responsible for the damage created by their products.
======
Sure, go ahead and pontificate about Bush. Empty suit, not smart enough (and we can all improvise ourselves judges of human minds), not "radical" enough, not "uncompromising" enough...... Harry Browne, pure, smart, non-corrupted (sure, with +/- 3%, what's there to corrupt!?) and..... without a chance in heaven.
Gore? Very real and doggedly determined.
We should know better.
[This message has been edited by 416Rigby (edited July 05, 2000).]
.