WAGCEVP
May 31, 2003, 10:23 PM
Quote: Whereas married women were long thought
to be the constituency most sympathetic to new restrictions on guns, they were the group most supportive of allowing pilots to be armed in
the cockpit, according to focus groups conducted by Republican pollster David Winston.
=======================================================
John L. Broughton
wb9vgj@a...
http://www.commspeed.net/wb9vgj
Monday, May. 19, 2003
When it comes to guns, politicians are figuring out what clay pigeons
have known for a long time: it's safer to be a moving target. So it
is that President Bush can win points with gun-control groups by
sticking to his campaign promise to sign an extension on the
assault-weapons ban when it expires next year, while House majority
leader Tom DeLay can make the gun lobby happy by suggesting, as he
did last week, that no such bill will ever reach Bush's desk. And
Democrats can fuss and fume over how Bush and the Republicans are
trying to have it both ways — while quietly breathing a sigh of
relief at being spared a vote that would expose the party's own
divisions on the issue.
The pantomime will continue, for behind it lies a new reality: two
years into the Bush Administration, the gun lobby is on a winning
streak. Bill Clinton muscled through the most significant new gun
laws in 30 years, including the 1994 assault-weapons ban and the 1993
Brady Law, requiring background checks for gun buyers. But gun groups
got some revenge in the 2000 election, when they were credited with
costing Al Gore at least three states, including his home, Tennessee
Most of the gains for the gun lobby have been quiet ones. Attorney
General John Ashcroft has expanded the government's view of the
Second Amendment, stating explicitly that it protects an individual's
right to possess and bear arms — a departure from the longstanding
view that this right was limited to state militias. Ashcroft has
also proposed shortening the length of time the FBI is required to
keep records of background checks. He wants it reduced to a single
business day; the Clinton Administration required 90. And while the
National Rifle Association wasn't pleased with Bush's statements in
support of the assault-weapons ban, no one expects the President to
lobby for it. At the same time, Bush has promised to sign the NRA's
top priority: legislation that would shield gunmakers and dealers
from lawsuits.
Part of the reason for the gun lobby's success is that the political
landscape shifted right after 9/11, when the nation lost its sense of
security and gun sales soared. Whereas married women were long thought
to be the constituency most sympathetic to new restrictions on guns,
they were the group most supportive of allowing pilots to be armed in
the cockpit, according to focus groups conducted by Republican
pollster David Winston.
Many Democrats are nervous about putting the gun issue on the front
burner. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called upon Bush to
pressure G.O.P. House leaders to bring the extension of the ban to
the floor, but she conceded that Democratic leaders would be leery
of strong-arming their own members on such a sensitive issue. "We
would probably lose some votes," she said. When guns came up during
the first debate among the 2004 Democratic presidential contenders
earlier this month, the candidates — with the exception of Al
Sharpton — were virtually silent.
That's a significant change from the last presidential campaign, when
Gore proposed licensing gun owners. Back then, whenever Bush was
asked about guns, he contended that what's needed is not new gun
laws but enforcement of existing ones. However, a study last week by
Americans for Gun Safety — a relatively moderate gun-control group
that does not support licensing gun owners or registering their
weapons — found that the Bush Administration has done little better
than its predecessor at prosecuting those who break gun laws. The
group found that of the 25,002 federal firearms cases over the past
three years, fully 85% were for violations of just two statutes —
illegal possession by a felon or another prohibited buyer and
possession of a firearm during a violent or drug-related crime. The
remaining 20 major federal gun laws, which include statutes designed
to keep weapons out of the hands of children, are rarely enforced.
The Justice Department disputed the study, saying many prosecutions
have been shifted to state and local jurisdictions, some of which
have tougher penalties.
It is on the enforcement issue that some Democrats think they may
have found an opening to talk about guns again. But no one is very
eager. Taking aim on the gun issue is one thing; pulling the trigger
is another.
From the May. 26, 2003 issue of TIME magazine
to be the constituency most sympathetic to new restrictions on guns, they were the group most supportive of allowing pilots to be armed in
the cockpit, according to focus groups conducted by Republican pollster David Winston.
=======================================================
John L. Broughton
wb9vgj@a...
http://www.commspeed.net/wb9vgj
Monday, May. 19, 2003
When it comes to guns, politicians are figuring out what clay pigeons
have known for a long time: it's safer to be a moving target. So it
is that President Bush can win points with gun-control groups by
sticking to his campaign promise to sign an extension on the
assault-weapons ban when it expires next year, while House majority
leader Tom DeLay can make the gun lobby happy by suggesting, as he
did last week, that no such bill will ever reach Bush's desk. And
Democrats can fuss and fume over how Bush and the Republicans are
trying to have it both ways — while quietly breathing a sigh of
relief at being spared a vote that would expose the party's own
divisions on the issue.
The pantomime will continue, for behind it lies a new reality: two
years into the Bush Administration, the gun lobby is on a winning
streak. Bill Clinton muscled through the most significant new gun
laws in 30 years, including the 1994 assault-weapons ban and the 1993
Brady Law, requiring background checks for gun buyers. But gun groups
got some revenge in the 2000 election, when they were credited with
costing Al Gore at least three states, including his home, Tennessee
Most of the gains for the gun lobby have been quiet ones. Attorney
General John Ashcroft has expanded the government's view of the
Second Amendment, stating explicitly that it protects an individual's
right to possess and bear arms — a departure from the longstanding
view that this right was limited to state militias. Ashcroft has
also proposed shortening the length of time the FBI is required to
keep records of background checks. He wants it reduced to a single
business day; the Clinton Administration required 90. And while the
National Rifle Association wasn't pleased with Bush's statements in
support of the assault-weapons ban, no one expects the President to
lobby for it. At the same time, Bush has promised to sign the NRA's
top priority: legislation that would shield gunmakers and dealers
from lawsuits.
Part of the reason for the gun lobby's success is that the political
landscape shifted right after 9/11, when the nation lost its sense of
security and gun sales soared. Whereas married women were long thought
to be the constituency most sympathetic to new restrictions on guns,
they were the group most supportive of allowing pilots to be armed in
the cockpit, according to focus groups conducted by Republican
pollster David Winston.
Many Democrats are nervous about putting the gun issue on the front
burner. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called upon Bush to
pressure G.O.P. House leaders to bring the extension of the ban to
the floor, but she conceded that Democratic leaders would be leery
of strong-arming their own members on such a sensitive issue. "We
would probably lose some votes," she said. When guns came up during
the first debate among the 2004 Democratic presidential contenders
earlier this month, the candidates — with the exception of Al
Sharpton — were virtually silent.
That's a significant change from the last presidential campaign, when
Gore proposed licensing gun owners. Back then, whenever Bush was
asked about guns, he contended that what's needed is not new gun
laws but enforcement of existing ones. However, a study last week by
Americans for Gun Safety — a relatively moderate gun-control group
that does not support licensing gun owners or registering their
weapons — found that the Bush Administration has done little better
than its predecessor at prosecuting those who break gun laws. The
group found that of the 25,002 federal firearms cases over the past
three years, fully 85% were for violations of just two statutes —
illegal possession by a felon or another prohibited buyer and
possession of a firearm during a violent or drug-related crime. The
remaining 20 major federal gun laws, which include statutes designed
to keep weapons out of the hands of children, are rarely enforced.
The Justice Department disputed the study, saying many prosecutions
have been shifted to state and local jurisdictions, some of which
have tougher penalties.
It is on the enforcement issue that some Democrats think they may
have found an opening to talk about guns again. But no one is very
eager. Taking aim on the gun issue is one thing; pulling the trigger
is another.
From the May. 26, 2003 issue of TIME magazine