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Gun Control Remains a Loaded Issue for Democratic
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
* Gun Control Remains a Loaded Issue for Democratic Candidates
"Everyone seems to believe that Democrats have changed their minds on gun control. Out on the campaign trail, John Kerry and John Edwards and Wesley Clark talk about their boyhood hunting trips. Before the Iowa caucuses, Kerry even took time out to shoot a pheasant. The gun control organization Americans for Gun Safety calls it 'taking the gun issue to the political center.' The National Rifle Assn.'s leader, Wayne LaPierre, claims that 'the center of the party saw that [advocating gun control] was a dead end for the Democrats.' And Newsweek spread the word: 'At least among the presidential candidates,' said an article in January, 'Democrats are moderating their stances' on gun control.
If one reads the candidates' public statements on the 2nd Amendment, they certainly seem moderate:
Kerry: 'I believe that the Constitution, our laws and our customs protect law-abiding American citizens' right to own firearms.... I believe that the right of gun ownership comes with responsibilities.'
Howard Dean: 'Law-abiding citizens should have the right to own firearms for hunting and other legitimate purposes, subject to reasonable restrictions related to gun safety.'
Edwards: 'I believe that the 2nd Amendment protects Americans' right to own firearms for purposes like hunting and personal protection, and that this right is subject to responsible limits like other rights.'
The uniformity of views is striking, as are the 'reasonable restrictions' the major Democratic candidates support: banning so-called semiautomatic assault weapons, regulating gun shows, opposing restrictions on lawsuits against gun makers."
You can read the complete story at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lott6feb06,1,6006690.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878<P>
"Everyone seems to believe that Democrats have changed their minds on gun control. Out on the campaign trail, John Kerry and John Edwards and Wesley Clark talk about their boyhood hunting trips. Before the Iowa caucuses, Kerry even took time out to shoot a pheasant. The gun control organization Americans for Gun Safety calls it 'taking the gun issue to the political center.' The National Rifle Assn.'s leader, Wayne LaPierre, claims that 'the center of the party saw that [advocating gun control] was a dead end for the Democrats.' And Newsweek spread the word: 'At least among the presidential candidates,' said an article in January, 'Democrats are moderating their stances' on gun control.
If one reads the candidates' public statements on the 2nd Amendment, they certainly seem moderate:
Kerry: 'I believe that the Constitution, our laws and our customs protect law-abiding American citizens' right to own firearms.... I believe that the right of gun ownership comes with responsibilities.'
Howard Dean: 'Law-abiding citizens should have the right to own firearms for hunting and other legitimate purposes, subject to reasonable restrictions related to gun safety.'
Edwards: 'I believe that the 2nd Amendment protects Americans' right to own firearms for purposes like hunting and personal protection, and that this right is subject to responsible limits like other rights.'
The uniformity of views is striking, as are the 'reasonable restrictions' the major Democratic candidates support: banning so-called semiautomatic assault weapons, regulating gun shows, opposing restrictions on lawsuits against gun makers."
You can read the complete story at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lott6feb06,1,6006690.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878<P>
Comments
By The Associated Press
The Associated Press chooses an issue three times a week and asks the presidential candidates a question about it. Today's question and responses:
GUNS: How, if at all, should federal gun laws be changed?
Democrats:
Wesley Clark (news - web sites): "First and foremost, we need to do a better job of enforcing our existing gun laws. I will do better. Next, I will push for a law that closes the 'gun show loophole.' Many states already have laws requiring background checks for gun purchases at gun shows. This is just common sense: If background checks are a good idea at gun stores, then they're a good idea at gun shows. I will make this a federal law. Finally, we ought to make sure that guns are designed with safety as a priority. For example, trigger locks on handguns would prevent a substantial number of the accidental shootings that occur every year. In addition, guns should feature indicators that show when they are loaded."
Howard Dean (news - web sites): "I favor reauthorizing the federal ban on assault weapons and requiring use of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for all sales at gun shows. I support all other existing federal gun laws and would vigorously enforce them. Beyond that, each state can decide if additional gun laws are needed."
Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites): "I grew up in small towns where gun ownership was a way of life. I have deep respect for that way of life, and I believe the Second Amendment protects it. At the same time, I believe we must support gun safety and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. To achieve these goals, I support modest changes in federal gun laws - closing the gun show loophole and requiring trigger locks on new weapons - which we should take while honoring the right to own guns for hunting, sporting or personal protection."
Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites): "I am a gun owner and hunter, and I believe that law-abiding American adults have the right to own guns. But like all of our rights, gun rights come with responsibilities, and those rights allow for reasonable restrictions to keep guns out of the wrong hands. I strongly support all of the federal gun laws on the books, and I would take steps to ensure that they are vigorously enforced. I will also close the gun show loophole, which is allowing criminals to get access to guns at gun shows without background checks, fix the background check system, which is in a serious state of disrepair, and require that all handguns be sold with a child safety lock."
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (news - web sites): "In this mobile society, national control of guns is necessary, just as it is with pollution. It is the right of Americans to keep and bear arms; however it is not the right of American felons to arm themselves. As president, I would support legislation to require background checks, identical to the background checks currently required for transfers by licensed gun dealers, for firearm transfers by unlicensed gun dealers at gun shows. Sensible laws to prevent guns from winding up in the wrong hands do not infringe on any constitutional rights."
Sen. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites): "I support common-sense gun safety laws - closing the gun show loophole, enforcing the Brady Bill, and providing better protection for our neighborhoods. We need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, and provide law enforcement with the funding and tools needed to effectively cut down on gun violence."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040201/ap_on_el_pr/on_the_issues_1
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878<P>
One must look beyond today's words and form a picture of the whole candidate.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!