MODS PLEASE NOTE, THE FOLLOWING MAY STRAY DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO POLITICAL DISCUSSION. I WILL MAKE EVERY ATTEMPT TO KEEP IT AS NON-POLITICAL AS POSSIBLE, BUT FEEL FREE TO EDIT OR DELETE MY POST IF YOU FEEL IT NECESSARY.
As others have noted, I think the key to getting the Huges Amendment repealed lies in slipping into another large bill. While the usual suspects like the Brady Bunch will probably cry foul, a savvy enough politician could still get around them.
To understand this, one must face the fact that the political left, which is represented primarily by the Democratic Party, is on the whole much more hostile to the repeal of the Hughes Amendment than the political right, which is represented primarily by the Republican Party. Something I think we should take lesson from is the manner in which we got carry in national parks: you just have to make giving you what you want easier/less painful than not giving you what you want. The Democrats wanted credit card reform pretty badly, badly enough that they were willing to concede national park carry in order to get it. To repeal the Hughes Amendment, we simply need to find another bill that the Democrats want as much or more than credit card reform and attach repeal of the Hughes Amendment to that bill. Healthcare Reform would have actually been a golden opportunity to do this as the Democrat demonstrated that they were willing to sacrifice an enormous amount of political capital (even to the point of losing seats in the House and Senate) in order to get such a measure.
While the Brady's will undoubtedly scream and wring their hands at such manuevering, they simply aren't the political force they used to be and most of our current politicians seem to be willing to ignore them when what they're saying isn't good for the rest of the agenda.
While the media represents a slightly more difficult challenge, I don't really think that they are insurmountable. If one can admit that there is almost no completely unbiased media outlet (and there probably never was) then we can also see the way in which to get around them. A right-leaning media outlet is likely already fairly supportive of RKBA and thus wouldn't be overly inclined to say much about repealing the Hughes Amendment or to give the Brady's much if any face time. Like the left-leaning politicians, a left-leaning media outlet would want whatever the repeal is attached to badly enough to shut the Brady's out, thereby making them a non-factor.
The stickiest part of all this is the fact that the Republicans now control the House while the Democrats still have the Senate and the White House. You'd have to find a bill that the Democrats want badly enough to ignore repealing the Hughes Amendment that still doesn't have enough Republican opposition to be able to clear the House.
Is this a sneaky way to get around the will of the American people? You bet it is, but then again so was the methods that were used to get the Hughes Amendment in the first place and the way that the American public's perception of full-auto was shaped to begin with. It would kind of be poetic justice when you think about it.
As others have noted, I think the key to getting the Huges Amendment repealed lies in slipping into another large bill. While the usual suspects like the Brady Bunch will probably cry foul, a savvy enough politician could still get around them.
To understand this, one must face the fact that the political left, which is represented primarily by the Democratic Party, is on the whole much more hostile to the repeal of the Hughes Amendment than the political right, which is represented primarily by the Republican Party. Something I think we should take lesson from is the manner in which we got carry in national parks: you just have to make giving you what you want easier/less painful than not giving you what you want. The Democrats wanted credit card reform pretty badly, badly enough that they were willing to concede national park carry in order to get it. To repeal the Hughes Amendment, we simply need to find another bill that the Democrats want as much or more than credit card reform and attach repeal of the Hughes Amendment to that bill. Healthcare Reform would have actually been a golden opportunity to do this as the Democrat demonstrated that they were willing to sacrifice an enormous amount of political capital (even to the point of losing seats in the House and Senate) in order to get such a measure.
While the Brady's will undoubtedly scream and wring their hands at such manuevering, they simply aren't the political force they used to be and most of our current politicians seem to be willing to ignore them when what they're saying isn't good for the rest of the agenda.
While the media represents a slightly more difficult challenge, I don't really think that they are insurmountable. If one can admit that there is almost no completely unbiased media outlet (and there probably never was) then we can also see the way in which to get around them. A right-leaning media outlet is likely already fairly supportive of RKBA and thus wouldn't be overly inclined to say much about repealing the Hughes Amendment or to give the Brady's much if any face time. Like the left-leaning politicians, a left-leaning media outlet would want whatever the repeal is attached to badly enough to shut the Brady's out, thereby making them a non-factor.
The stickiest part of all this is the fact that the Republicans now control the House while the Democrats still have the Senate and the White House. You'd have to find a bill that the Democrats want badly enough to ignore repealing the Hughes Amendment that still doesn't have enough Republican opposition to be able to clear the House.
Is this a sneaky way to get around the will of the American people? You bet it is, but then again so was the methods that were used to get the Hughes Amendment in the first place and the way that the American public's perception of full-auto was shaped to begin with. It would kind of be poetic justice when you think about it.