If anyone needs proof that Kerry will restore the AWB

[jefnvk]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/13/kerry.monday.ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- John Kerry is criticizing President Bush for letting a decade-long ban on assault weapons expire while unveiling his own $5 billion plan to fight crime and picking up a police union endorsement.

"George Bush made a choice today," the president's Democratic challenger said in remarks prepared for a Washington audience Monday. "He chose his powerful friends in the gun lobby over the police officers and the families he promised to protect."

Gun control advocate Sarah Brady, wife of former President Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was expected to join Kerry as he received the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations, a coalition of more than 2,000 police unions and associations. Jim Brady was wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan. (Gun shops, police brace for end of weapons band)

On CBS' "The Early Show," Sarah Brady said that allowing the ban to lapse was "purely political."

"The real onus fell on President George W. Bush," she said. "He has exerted absolutely no leadership. We have a president and leadership in the House and Senate that simply do not want to face this." (Interactive: The assault weapons ban)

Republican leaders in Congress said last week they have no plans to renew the 1994 ban on 19 types of military-style assault weapons, even as some law enforcement officials encouraged them to keep the prohibition alive. (Special report: America Votes 2004)

Kerry also faulted Bush for proposing deep cuts to the Community Oriented Policing Services program, known as COPS, which the Massachusetts senator pushed to passage 10 years ago. The program provides grants to state and local agencies to hire police officers. Bush proposed cutting it from $482 million to $97 million next year.

Kerry said renewing the assault weapons ban would not interfere with the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. The Democrat was appearing with gun control activist Sarah Brady, whose husband, Jim Brady, was shot in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan.

"Let me be very clear. I support the Second Amendment. I've been a hunter all my life," Kerry said. "But I don't think we need to make the job of terrorists any easier."

Bush-Cheney campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said, "Senator Kerry has spent his entire 20-year career in the U.S. Senate fighting against Second Amendment rights."

Kerry was also outlining a $5 billion, 10-year anti-crime agenda, paid for by a routine extension of customs fees already included in numerous pending bills.

To cut crime, he would restore the assault weapons ban and push to:


Fund the COPS program to the full amount authorized by Congress.


Ensure that state and local law enforcement agencies get access to the national terrorist lists, and simplify those lists.


Increase scrutiny of purchases at gun shows.


Enforce existing gun laws and help U.S. attorneys battle interstate gun trafficking.


Crack down on gang violence and increase former gang members' access to jobs, job training, school and drug rehabilitation.


Increase federal aid to local governments fighting methamphetamine and ban bulk purchasing of over-the-counter drugs used to manufacture methamphetamine.


Hire 5,000 new community prosecutors over five years.


Expand DNA testing and remove statue of limitations on some DNA evidence.


Provide money for jobs and technology to improve probation and parole systems.

On Sunday, the Justice Department said the nation's crime rate last year held steady at the lowest levels since the government began surveying crime victims in 1973, the latest in a decade-long trend showing violent crime falling.

 

[artherd]

"Let me be very clear. I support the Second Amendment. I've been a hunter all my life," Kerry said. "But I don't think we need to make the job of terrorists any easier."

Hrm, so I am a terrrorist then? No sir, I don't like this one bit.

Kerry knows this is rehtoric BS, and he's spouting it anyway. Par for most major politicialns, but I still don't like it!

Too bad, I don't like the other guy (Hey! Let's make a war and an $100billion bill that the US will pay, that'll jump start our economy!"

 

[flatrock]

Kerry was also outlining a $5 billion, 10-year anti-crime agenda, paid for by a routine extension of customs fees already included in numerous pending bills.

Which means he would have to cut the programs taxes (custom fees) are currently funding. Money doesn't come from nowhere. If you don't create new taxes, unless the economy grows enough to increase tax revenue, you have to cut programs to add new ones.

Kerry just keeps spending the tax money multiple times, and the media won't call him on the deception.

Fund the COPS program to the full amount authorized by Congress.

In other words he's going to take money away from other programs to fund this, or he's going to take more tax money from everyone and then give it back to local governments for hiring more officers, even if that isn't what they need most in that area.

It's another example of mismanaging our tax money so that the federal government can say they are doing something.

Ensure that state and local law enforcement agencies get access to the national terrorist lists, and simplify those lists.

I would hope they can get those from the FBI now. I was under the understanding that the compartmentalization of such information was stopped.

Increase scrutiny of purchases at gun shows.

Likely by legislating more restrictions on the transfer of firearms between private individuals.

Enforce existing gun laws and help U.S. attorneys battle interstate gun trafficking.

Bush already increased the number of federal prosecutors handling gun crime issues. This sounds like a political comment with no real means of implementing it. How does he intend to battle interstate gun trafficing? Has a serious problem with interstate gun trafficing even been identified?

Crack down on gang violence and increase former gang members' access to jobs, job training, school and drug rehabilitation.

Sounds great, but until the problems with public schools are properly addressed, these "gang members" aren't going to get the education they need to be productive members of society.

Helping former criminals that want to become productive members of society get a second chance is a noble cause, but it's hard to train people for jobs when they can't read.

Increase federal aid to local governments fighting methamphetamine and ban bulk purchasing of over-the-counter drugs used to manufacture methamphetamine.

In other words, you're going to need a perscription to deal with sinus congestion, because they want to require one for buying sudafed. This is going to mean that people have to go to the doctor to get a perscription, and it will increase the cost of the drugs because of the overhead.

This will hurt low income people for whom those co-pays at the doctor hurt more, and taking time off work to take their kids to the doctor sure won't help them much either.

Hire 5,000 new community prosecutors over five years.

How much do you think a prosecutor makes? If it's only $50,000 a year, but the end of five years they'll be spending $250 million a year on this alone.

I suspect the average prosecutor makes more than that. I also suspect this is another program where the feds only provide part of the money to hire the prosecutors, and then say they allowed that many to be hired. If the local community can't afford the rest of the salary, then they don't get the prosecutor, or any of the federal money.

This was the problem with the COPS program that Kerry seems so fond of.

Expand DNA testing and remove statue of limitations on some DNA evidence.

The states don't have enough money to do their backlog of DNA tests now, and throwing a $100 mill at the problem isn't likely going to get them caught up.

Provide money for jobs and technology to improve probation and parole systems.

That sounds like a vague and huge task. He's going to do all these really expensive things with $5 billion?

I've got a better idea. Give the money back to the states in block grants for them to use in crime prevention, so they can use it in the ways that best suit their problems.

 

[gbran]

Liar or incompetent?

Kerry has been all over the news today saying he has never hunted deer with a military assault rifle..........

He either is ignorant of the 2A or he is purposefully lying/decieving people with propaganda. Either way, he is not prez material.

 

[Norton]

All together now....."It's not about hunting"

 

[Nightfall]

IMHO, if Kerry got in, it could be the worst thing to happen to the RKBA since 1934. Scary, scary prospects...