Here is an interesting commentary I got on an email list:
"There may not be much difference between Democrats and Republicans
anymore."
-- Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (SD)
(Thursday, May 20, 1999)-- Senator Daschle made the above statement
last night while commenting on all the Republican "concessions and
reversals on guns in the past week," reported the Associated Press.
Indeed, while Democrats have actively pushed for gun control
amendments to Hatch's juvenile crime bill, it is the Republican
leadership that has crafted most of the gun control legislation that
has passed. It all began last week with an amendment introduced by
Republican Senator John Ashcroft (MO) which further criminalized the
possession of certain firearms by young adults. (Keep in mind, that
as late as the 1950s, kids were taking guns to school as part of
organized school training activities or ROTC. But with the Ashcroft
amendment, the mere possession of certain firearms could, under most
circumstances, land a young adult in jail-- even if there is a
parent in the near vicinity and there is no harmful activity
attempted with the firearm.)
Then there was the Hatch/Craig amendment, named after Senators Orrin
Hatch (R-UT) and Larry Craig (R-ID). This anti-gun amendment passed
and required that gun buyers go through background "registration"
checks at gun shows, even if a person is buying from a PRIVATE
individual. The Hatch/Craig amendment also included massive
increases in funding for the BATF, in addition to a vast array of
other gun control.
Finally, Tuesday brought about another interesting set of
"bedfellows." Orrin Hatch and Herb Kohl-- the anti-gun zealot from
Wisconsin-- co-authored an amendment forcing gun sellers to include
"lock up your safety" devices with every handgun sold. [Kohl (D) is
best remembered for his unconstitutional Gun Free Zones Ban in
1996.] Although failure to use a trigger lock would not be
negligence, per se, such failure could be used as evidence in
court-- thus encouraging people to refrain from keeping firearms for
self-defense. At day's end, the Hatch-Kohl amendment passed 78-20.
TALKING POINTS: Grassroots activists have reported two objections
arising from Republicans who wish to justify their votes for Gun
Control "Lite" these past two weeks:
1. Senators have argued they had to vote for "some gun control"
restrictions in order to stem the tide against even greater gun
controls. Of course, this is like someone saying they gave an
alligator their right arm to keep it from eating the rest of their
body-- a ridiculous notion. But this is the situation Republicans
now find themselves in. Having given up their "right arm" by
supporting Gun Control "Lite," they are now in a weaker position to
oppose further encroachments. Once they concede the principle that
prior restraints can be placed upon the Second Amendment, where will
the encroachments end?
Moreover, this notion of voting for "some" gun control to evade
"more" gun control HAS NOT worked. Every Republican concession has
been met with further demands from the Democrats for MORE gun
control. Feinstein, Lautenberg, Schumer, Boxer-- they all want a
piece of the action. None of them have been satisfied by preemptive
concessions made by the Republicans. As stated by the Associated
Press this morning: "Despite the concessions, [White House]
officials prepared a long list of additional issues that the
Republicans didn't address, saying the GOP hadn't gone far enough to
stop some criminals from obtaining weapons."
2. A couple of you have told us some Senate staffers are claiming
GOA is only opposing these Gun Control "Lite" amendments in order to
raise funds. The staffers making these specious claims can go to
http://www.gunowners.org and read all of GOA's alerts at the top of
its Web page-- and see that GOA has asked for a whopping total of
$0.00.
"There may not be much difference between Democrats and Republicans
anymore."
-- Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (SD)
(Thursday, May 20, 1999)-- Senator Daschle made the above statement
last night while commenting on all the Republican "concessions and
reversals on guns in the past week," reported the Associated Press.
Indeed, while Democrats have actively pushed for gun control
amendments to Hatch's juvenile crime bill, it is the Republican
leadership that has crafted most of the gun control legislation that
has passed. It all began last week with an amendment introduced by
Republican Senator John Ashcroft (MO) which further criminalized the
possession of certain firearms by young adults. (Keep in mind, that
as late as the 1950s, kids were taking guns to school as part of
organized school training activities or ROTC. But with the Ashcroft
amendment, the mere possession of certain firearms could, under most
circumstances, land a young adult in jail-- even if there is a
parent in the near vicinity and there is no harmful activity
attempted with the firearm.)
Then there was the Hatch/Craig amendment, named after Senators Orrin
Hatch (R-UT) and Larry Craig (R-ID). This anti-gun amendment passed
and required that gun buyers go through background "registration"
checks at gun shows, even if a person is buying from a PRIVATE
individual. The Hatch/Craig amendment also included massive
increases in funding for the BATF, in addition to a vast array of
other gun control.
Finally, Tuesday brought about another interesting set of
"bedfellows." Orrin Hatch and Herb Kohl-- the anti-gun zealot from
Wisconsin-- co-authored an amendment forcing gun sellers to include
"lock up your safety" devices with every handgun sold. [Kohl (D) is
best remembered for his unconstitutional Gun Free Zones Ban in
1996.] Although failure to use a trigger lock would not be
negligence, per se, such failure could be used as evidence in
court-- thus encouraging people to refrain from keeping firearms for
self-defense. At day's end, the Hatch-Kohl amendment passed 78-20.
TALKING POINTS: Grassroots activists have reported two objections
arising from Republicans who wish to justify their votes for Gun
Control "Lite" these past two weeks:
1. Senators have argued they had to vote for "some gun control"
restrictions in order to stem the tide against even greater gun
controls. Of course, this is like someone saying they gave an
alligator their right arm to keep it from eating the rest of their
body-- a ridiculous notion. But this is the situation Republicans
now find themselves in. Having given up their "right arm" by
supporting Gun Control "Lite," they are now in a weaker position to
oppose further encroachments. Once they concede the principle that
prior restraints can be placed upon the Second Amendment, where will
the encroachments end?
Moreover, this notion of voting for "some" gun control to evade
"more" gun control HAS NOT worked. Every Republican concession has
been met with further demands from the Democrats for MORE gun
control. Feinstein, Lautenberg, Schumer, Boxer-- they all want a
piece of the action. None of them have been satisfied by preemptive
concessions made by the Republicans. As stated by the Associated
Press this morning: "Despite the concessions, [White House]
officials prepared a long list of additional issues that the
Republicans didn't address, saying the GOP hadn't gone far enough to
stop some criminals from obtaining weapons."
2. A couple of you have told us some Senate staffers are claiming
GOA is only opposing these Gun Control "Lite" amendments in order to
raise funds. The staffers making these specious claims can go to
http://www.gunowners.org and read all of GOA's alerts at the top of
its Web page-- and see that GOA has asked for a whopping total of
$0.00.