AWB legislation back on the Senate calender -- S. 2948

[-..__...]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:s.02498:

Time to start making phone calls and send letters. We torpedoed it once before, we can do it again. Make them really squirm this time around.



S.2498

Title: A bill to provide for a 10-year extension of the assault weapons ban.
Sponsor: Sen Feinstein, Dianne (introduced 6/3/2004) Cosponsors (11)
Latest Major Action: 6/4/2004 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 545.


TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

* OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:
A bill to provide for a 10-year extension of the assault weapons ban.

STATUS: (color indicates Senate actions)

6/3/2004:
Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time. 6/4/2004:
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 545.
COMMITTEE(S):

***NONE***

RELATED BILL DETAILS:

***NONE***

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE***
COSPONSORS(11), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Boxer, Barbara - 6/3/2004
Sen Chafee, Lincoln D. - 6/3/2004
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham - 6/3/2004
Sen DeWine, Michael - 6/3/2004
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. - 6/3/2004
Sen Jeffords, James M. - 6/3/2004
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. - 6/3/2004
Sen Levin, Carl - 6/3/2004
Sen Reed, John F. - 6/3/2004
Sen Schumer, Charles E. - 6/3/2004
Sen Warner, John W. - 6/3/2004

[Sirveri]

1. WHY do my senators always have to do this!

I hate it, one major plank I disagree with the democratic party with and they keept doing this shit! It's so aggravating!

[OpSomBlood]

3. I know where you're coming from.

I think the Dems are on the right side of every major issue except guns. Imagine how unstoppable we'd be if these guys would stop trying to change the laws that have served our country well for 217 years.

[CO Liberal]

13. Because You Have Two Good Senators

:-)

[JayS]

90. You need Senators like this one.

http://www.gunweek.com/2004/maryland0420.html

MD Senate Panel Rejects Bill to Ban ‘Assault Weapons’

The Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee on Apr. 2 narrowly rejected SB-288, a bill that would have banned the sale of so-called assault weapons. The number of guns that would have been banned varies from 19 to 45 or more, depending on who interpreted the bill’s language.

In defeating the measure by a 6-5 margin, the deciding vote was cast by Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr., a Democrat whose district includes portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties, who had announced his opposition to the bill a month earlier.

The committee vote had been delayed by Chairman Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery) after Giannetti made his opposition to the bill public in early March. The Takoma Park Gazette claimed that Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. had convinced Giannetti that passage of the bill would not reduce crime.

Gun control advocates had pulled out all the stops for passage of SB-288 this year with the likelihood that the 1994 federal gun ban would expire in September. With the defeat of the proposed ban on semi-automatic long guns, many of which are commonly used for hunting and competition, the antis appear to have lost their last chance for more Maryland gun laws in this session of the state legislature. Thirty other gun-related bills remain, but lawmakers were not expected to vote on them with less than two weeks left in the 2004 General Assembly session.

The National Rifle Association credited defeat of the measure to the outpouring of grassroots opposition to the bill and the number of its members who contacted legislators and attended hearings.

Constituent input certainly played a role in how Giannetti and others voted. In early March, The Laurel Leader reported that Giannetti said his office had received up to 500 e-mails per day and 300 phone calls on SB-288.

“I think the gun debate died when (Mr. Giannetti) decided he wasn’t going to support any kind of ban,” said House Speaker Michael E. Busch, also an Anne Arundel County Democrat, according to The Washington Times.

*SNIP*

[Hrumph]

97. Because your senators are morons

Why do you keep electing them?

[TexasMexican]

2. Well I suppose my Senators will vote no...

them being republicans and all. :eyes:

I'm also glad that my congressman will likely vote no, as he did when this first came up. I'm proud to say that Solomon Ortiz is a democrat.

[JayS]

4. Feinstein and Schumer are involved?!?

You could knock me over with a feather...

I wonder why Kerry is not listed as a sponsor or cosponsor. Oh wait, he would have to go in to work for that.

[OpSomBlood]

5. Does Feinstein do ANYTHING besides gun control?

It's pretty weird, actually.

[MrBenchley]

8. Wow....the RKBA crowd bashing Democrats AGAIN

Who is surprised?

Me neither.

[-..__...]

10. Hand us another laugh.

Where was any Dem bashing stated or implied? Three of the eleven are Repubs and one is a former Repub (now Independent).

Feinstein? Get a general consensus in the GD or Lounge forum regarding her popularity and report back here.

[MrBenchley]

14. Who DO you think you're kidding?

[-..__...]

95. It would be helpful...

If I knew WTF you think I'm kiddng about.... please provide details.

[JayS]

99. Actually, the only Democrats getting bashed are the ones...

...that deserve it. Feinswine makes certain that the word Liberal is a dirty word. One has to remember to say "pretty far left of center" in order to not be ostracized.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

6. Every cloud has a silver lining

The good news, if it can be called that, is that the abomination that was the AWB II (the uber-restrictive monstrosity) is dead and even the staunchest anti's know it. So they will settle for another decade of this POS AWB. This will go nowhere on its own and they know it, this is just to make their positions known for the next election.

Personally, I've waited a decade for this rediculous ban to expire. Now the usual characters are pimping to renew the damn thing. I'm looking forward to standard capacity ammunition feeding devices once again without having to get screwed on the price.

[Lamorat]

11. I think they'll push it through

We're in a bad shape this time.

[CO Liberal]

15. And Once It Goes Through....

...the country will be in better shape.

[MrBenchley]

16. Amen to that!

It's a win win situation...

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lamorat]

26. Please explain

How the country will be in any conceivably better shape? Besides just 'sticking it to' gun owners who enjoy their freedom and guns?

[Hrumph]

98. Maybe, if you think

a socialist/fascist regime will be an improvement.

[MrBenchley]

7. Good for her.....

Go Democrats...time to get this renewed!!

[TexasMexican]

9. Go Democrats..

like Solomon Ortiz district 27 representative who voted against the Assault Weapon Ban.

[Romulus]

12. goodness!!

We sure wouldn't want these around:






or else people will stop using these:





Oh, wait, if the top two get banned, then people will still be able to use the bottom two, ones that do the exact same things in the exact same way with the exact same ammunition (respectively)!!:eyes:

[MrBenchley]

17. Jinkies, rom....

"then people will still be able to use the bottom two, ones that do the exact same things in the exact same way with the exact same ammunition (respectively)!!"
Why if that were true, the Tim McVeigh wannabe club sure looks like a bunch of pinheads fighting so hard to get those top two guns on the market....

[Zynx]

19. They pretty much are

a bunch of pinheads. The AWB is generally a worthless piece of legislation that hasn't done much more than make it expensive to buy standard Glock magazines. It banned a bunch of features that are of no use in crime outside of a movie and that have no mechanical impact on the gun's main function (plus one function-grenade launcher- that isn't even *part* of a gun as built in a MILITARY WEAPON :eyes: M16 does not come with the 203 ready mounted).

It also banned a bunch of guns that are frankly rarely used in crime by groups other than drug gangs who can buy the real deal full auto toy in Prague or Moscow or Mexico or Colombia anyway. The only guns that were banned that one can make an argument that they turned up in crimes in any significant numbers were the machine pistols. The really potent weapons, such as the Streetsweeper and the battle rifles, most criminals don't have a heck of a lot of interest in them. Why? Because if you want to fight a street war with the cops, you will end up dead. The guys who used full military body armor and 100% illegal full-auto AK-47's from China with military AP rounds to rob that bank in Hollywood, CA still both wound up dead. Heat doesn't work in real life.

I don't think I need to point out how stupid it is to ban AK-47's made after 1994 or 30 round magazines for AK-47's made after 1994. Or Uzis made after 1994 and their magazines. Or AR-15 family guns made after 1994 and *their* magazines. There are millions of all of these, tens of millions of the AK, and more magazines than will be bought up in a hundred years.

Really, it is a lousy law that is at best inspired by atypical incidents that do not reflect national statistics and at worst is part of some extreme anti-gun position.

[OpSomBlood]

20. It was stepping-stone legislation.

No more, no less. Pro- and anti-gun advocates agree that the AWB doesn't really accomplish much of anything.

[Zynx]

21. Agree

About the only thing that makes sense regarding it. It also was a PR law, because they banned all the "name brand" stuff. The police of course also lied in support of it to try to up their advantage over criminals, going on about how they were attacked with AK-47's all the time. There is no data to support this-see the Urban Institute study on the subject of conditions prior to the ban. There's nothing whatsoever that would justify it.

It just seems, from a lot of the comments on this board, that people seem to legitimately think that it did something or that it is a good law or that assault weapons will flood the street.

Hell, even the Violence Policy Center complains about how all the ban did was have all the unnecessary "assault" features stripped off of sporter "copies." This is actual *compliance* with the law.

Congress should not play design engineer.

[MrBenchley]

22. Gee, and yet the gun lobby

is fighting tooth and nail to keep it off the books...which shows what a steaming crock of crap this "it doesn't do anything argument is."

They even scuttled their own "immunity from liability" bill to get these guns back on the market.

[Zynx]

24. It's called the National Rifle Association

They are going to oppose anything that restricts guns in any way, shape or form. Surprise. Not.

Find me some facts that it has done anything or was needed.

Better yet, what do *you* say it has actually done?

[MrBenchley]

25. It's called horseshit no matter who slings it...

And I don't really give a crap what propaganda you want to peddle.

[Zynx]

29. How about you actually read something?

I recommend this:

http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/aw_final.pdf

That's a fairly liberal group, but they are very good and their objective data nicely points out how rather un-dangerous and uncommon assault weapons were prior to the ban, and how a grand total of *four* police officers were killed nationwide by assault weapons in the two years prior to the ban, versus 121 total killings, for a rate of 3/100. It also shows how the ban had no effect whatsoever on multiple gunshots per crime and number of victims per crime.

The AWB has no factual merit.

[MrBenchley]

30. Been there, done that...

And if it really were an ineffective law, the gun lobby wouldn't have scuttled their own disgraceful "immunity from liability" law.

I'll stick with the groups I trust.

[Zynx]

96. You mean the groups that are as whacky...

And incompetent as you are?

You're rejecting a good study with solid methodolgy from a liberal leaning think tank because you don't like the result.

You're an idiot.

[MrBenchley]

23. Texas Law Enforcement...: Renew the Assault Weapons Ban"

"Outside the Texas State Republican Convention, local law enforcement, concerned citizens and public officials will call on the President and Congress to renew the federal ban on assault weapons. The assault weapons law bans semi-automatic assault weapons like AK-47s,UZIs, and Street Sweepers, as well as high-capacity ammunition clips that hold more than ten rounds. The purpose is to keep military-style firearms and ammunition out of the hands of criminals and terrorists, and hunting guns are specifically excluded."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20040603/pl_usnw/texas_law_enforcement_to_president_bush__time_is_running_out__renew_the_assault_weapons_ban145_xml

[Lamorat]

27. Hunting guns excluded..

Until they decide to come after 'sniper rifles'.

Edited to add: Stop the stupid pictures. Stop associating guns with all things bad.

[MrBenchley]

28. Lam-o-rat

[TexasMexican]

31. This already happened.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=391&ncid=391&e=5&u=/ibsys/20040605/lo_ksat/2235397

With the following lovely quote.

"We cannot allow our professional law enforcement officers (to be) killed by bad people who have an illegal possession of an assault weapon"

Sounds like something you and your ilk might say MrBenchley.

So how exactly does the AWB keep bad guys from illegally possessing an "assault weapon."

As far as I know the AWB only makes it difficult for law abiding citizens to legally own an assault rifle. It however doesnt actually do anything to stop people from illegally owning them.

[MrBenchley]

32. Gee, tex....

I'm quite happy to stand with Sheriff Lopez....

"As far as I know the AWB only makes it difficult for law abiding citizens to legally own an assault rifle."
The shallow limits of your knowledge never fail to astonish me.

[TexasMexican]

33. Well, Bench

care to explain how the AWB will keep bad guys from obtaining illegal assault weapons? Please enlighten me.

[billbuckhead]

34. Check out the new Australia figures, gun regulation works

Gunowners get millions of guns stolen now, so unregulated guns obviously don't stop guns from being stolen from their owners. It's a moot point at best for the gun worshippers.

[MrBenchley]

36. Who but the Tim McVeigh wannabes

really think assault weapons are a GOOD idea?

[TexasMexican]

38. Banning Guns isnt going to happen

unless you repeal the 2nd amendment and that will not happen.

[CO Liberal]

68. If That's The Case.....

...why do so many pro-gunners on this board refer to people like me who advocate reasonable gun control measures as "gun grabbers"?

:shrug:

[TexasMexican]

73. because people like you would try...

I personally believe that the 2nd amendment wont be repealed but that doesnt mean that anti-gunner wont try to do it.

[TX-RAT]

74. How does reasonable gun control = gun grabber

[JayS]

76. "Reasonable gun control" is a little on the vague side. n/t

n/t

[slackmaster]

78. Understatement of the week

:D

[TX-RAT]

80. To some people.

[JayS]

83. Actually, to most people it is knowingly or unknowingly vague.

...If this were not the case, there would not be so much discussion about it.

[MrBenchley]

84. This "what could it mean" hooey is especially funny

when one looks up at the title of the thread...

[JayS]

88. The "reasonable gun control" term would encompass,...

...reasonably, more than just S. 2948.

[MrBenchley]

91. Didn't say it was limited to that bill either....

Just pointing out how funny it was that you "enthusiasts" would try that dodge here

[JayS]

92. Well...that makes little sense.

[MrBenchley]

93. Sez you....

[JayS]

94. Obviously.

[CO Liberal]

81. You Don't Know Diddly......

...about what I would do.

[MrBenchley]

77. Uh, because without distortion and deception

there IS no RKBA argument whatsoever....

[MrBenchley]

35. Ask the sheriff....

You're in Texas and I'm not...

[TexasMexican]

37. but your the one who claimed...

that the "shallow limits of my knowledge never fail to astonish you."

So please enlighten me, what was wrong about my commentary.

The AWB doesnt prevent criminals from obtaining assault rifles illegally. How is that factually incorrect?

[MrBenchley]

39. And so they do....

But hey, if you want to pretend assault weapons are a GOOD thing, do it without me.

[billbuckhead]

40. But the AWB does keep the number of assault rifles down

and automatically identifies someone having one as a criminal.

[FeebMaster]

41. First of all

the AWB has nothing to do with assault rifles it has to do with assault weapons. Second, since the AWB doesn't ban assault weapons it doesn't keep the number of assault rifles or assault weapons down and certainly doesn't automatically identify someone having one as a criminal.

Is it so much to ask that supporters of the AWB get a clue about what the AWB and other federal gun laws do?

[MrBenchley]

42. Underwhelming knowledge of feeb....

[FeebMaster]

43. Whatever that's supposed to mean.

Maybe you should post some more entertaining quotes from a gun board for us. Or link some pictures telling us how pro-gun the Republicans are or something.

[MrBenchley]

45. It means exactly what it says, feeb....

[FeebMaster]

47. So you're saying you don't know much or anything

about me. Makes sense.

[MrBenchley]

50. What I do know

makes any further contemplation not worth the trouble...

[FeebMaster]

51. Then how is your knowledge of me underwhelming? (nt)

[MrBenchley]

53. In every fucking way....

[FeebMaster]

54. You may be underwhelmed by me or my opinions

but I don't understand how you could describe your knowledge of me as underwhelming. It just doesn't make sense. You should say something like "My overwhelming knowledge of FeebMaster has left me underwhelmed with his opinions and character." or something like that.

[JayS]

44. I think the Sheriff is a little busy right now and not taking too...

...many questions. He has his election coming up and needs to overcome a minor transsexual matter to keep his job and try for a spot in Washington if Kerry is elected.

[MrBenchley]

46. In other words

you're as clueless about the sheriff as you are about anything else.

[TexasMexican]

48. JayS knows a bit more about the Bexar County Sheriff than I do...

aparently, just did a quick yahoo search on Sheriff Lopez and turned this up.

http://www.tgirls.net/news/news31.htm

Heh.

[JayS]

49. Yeah, he sorta got known coast to coast. n/t

n/t

[MrBenchley]

52. How horrifying....

"As sheriff, I have to support everyone's constitutional rights," said Lopez, citing provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Wow, he sounds like just the sort of person every gun-toting fuckwit would hate with a white-hot passion. How dare he obey the law! Or support consittuional rights!


"Minutes later, on the sidewalk in front of the jail, a circuslike demonstration featuring two men preaching that God hates homosexuals attracted scant attention...."
Now that's more up the gun nut's alley....Bet they'd be in favor of assault weapons for loonies.

[JayS]

55. Who said he is a bad guy?

[MrBenchley]

56. And that's why you dredged this crap up....

"Heh."

Nice of the bullets for brains bunch to show their true colors, if only inadvertantly.

[JayS]

57. What are you rambling about now? It would be a little hard for...

...me to avoid hearing about him.

[MrBenchley]

58. Not rambling about anything

Heh.

[JayS]

61. I must have read a post by a different MrBenchley then...

[MrBenchley]

65. No, jay....

you read my response to yoiur bigoted nonsense

[JayS]

69. You're the one that seems to have some sort of problem with...

...a highly respected and successful hispanic.

[MrBenchley]

70. Gee, and yet I'm not the one who put up....

"JayS
44. I think the Sheriff is a little busy right now and not taking too...
...many questions. He has his election coming up and needs to overcome a minor transsexual matter to keep his job and try for a spot in Washington if Kerry is elected."

[JayS]

71. Uh...because it is true? n/t

n/t

[TexasMexican]

59. Heh

apparently the "bench" is a humorless and doesnt like it when people laugh about something.

[MrBenchley]

60. Heh...

Apparently, you haven't figured out that jay is trying to pretend that you aren't laughing.

[TexasMexican]

62. I dont see anyone pretending anything...

the only person who said anything about my laugh was you.

I take it you have a problem with people laughing about anything and want everyone to have a life as dull as your own?

[JayS]

64. "problem with people"

I think he has a problem with Sheriff Lopez...

[MrBenchley]

66. Gee, tex....

You keep on telling yourself that...and I'll keep laughing my ass off at our "pro-gun democrats"

[mosin]

63. My senators

The only "good" thing about Sen. DeWine (R-OH) co-sponsoring this and Sen. Voinovich (R-OH) ultimately voting for this is that I can despise them completely and utterly.

The "bad" news is that Voinovich's Democrat opponent, Fingerhut, is rapidly anti-gun rights as well. Fingerhut introduced a very restrictive state AWB bill in the Ohio Senate. (Fortunately, it was dead on arrival in the Ohio General Assembly.)

I wrote and called "my" Ohio senators today.

[MrBenchley]

67. Some groups supporting a strengthened and renewed ban

Academy of Medical/Surgical Nurses (AMSN)
* Alliance for Justice
* American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
* American Association of Suicidology
* American Ethical Union/Washington Ethical Action Office
* American Probation and Parole Association
* American Public Health Association
* American Jewish Committee
* American Jewish Congress
* Americans for Democratic Action
* Anti-Defamation League
* Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
* Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March
* Central Conference of American Rabbis
* Child Welfare League of America
* Children's Defense Fund
* Church of the Brethren, Washington Office
* Church Women United
* Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
* The Consumer Alliance
* Consumer Federation of America
* The Episcopal Church, USA
* Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
* Family Violence Prevention Fund
* Freedom States Alliance
* Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America
* Handgun-Free America
* HELP Network
* The Interfaith Alliance
* Jewish Council for Public Affairs
* Justice Policy Institute
* Legal Community Against Violence - Firearms Law Center
* Loretto Community
* Mennonite Central Committee US, Washington Office
* Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
* National Alliance To End Sexual Violence
* National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
* National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNP)
* National Association of School Psychologists
* National Black Police Association
* National Center for Women in Policing
* National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
* National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
* National Council of Jewish Women
* National Domestic Violence Hotline
* National League of Cities
* National Network to End Domestic Violence
* National Organization for Women (NOW)
* National Women's Health Network
* Physicians for a Violence-free Society
* Physicians for Social Responsibility
* Presbyterian Church (USA), Washington Office
* Public Citizen
* Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE)
* States United to Prevent Gun Violence
* Trauma Foundation
* Union of American Hebrew Congregations
* Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
* United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
* The United States Conference of Mayors
* Violence Policy Center
* Voices for America's Children (formerly National Association of Child Advocates)
* Washington Ethical Action Office/American Ethical Union
* Women of Reform Judaism

http://www.csgv.org/issues/assaultweapons/allies/natlorgs.cfm

Anybody want to guess what organizations OPPOSE it? Besides the Aryan Nation and the National Alliance?

[TexasMexican]

72. Sadly most of those groups...

probably dont know the difference between a semi automatic weapon and a fully automatic weapon.

[MrBenchley]

75. Gee, I'll bet all of those groups

know that military style weapons have no place in civilian hands...

Cheer up, though...you got the neoNazis pulling for assault weapons.

[TexasMexican]

85. I disagree with your opinion.

"that military style weapons have no place in civilian hands..."

Military "style" weapons absolutely have a place in civillian hands.

"Cheer up, though...you got the neoNazis pulling for assault weapons."

Doesnt bother me. Hitler breathed oxygen and ate food, does that mean that the rest of us should stop breating and eating?

Wannabe nazis have as much right to keep and bear arms as the rest of us, and they even have the right to say whatever stupid shit they want.

However if they ever decided to come to South Texas and start shit here, then they would definately be in for a fight, and that is exactly what the 2nd amendment is about. Giving the people the tools to fight off thier oppressors.

Nazis will have guns even if they are "illegal," and I wouldnt want your white people to have an unfair advantage over us Hispanics. So lets keep this fair.

[MrBenchley]

86. Tee hee hee....

"Wannabe nazis have as much right to keep and bear arms as the rest of us"
And that's why they clog the aisles of gun shows.

"that is exactly what the 2nd amendment is about"
Dingbats having public shootouts with neoNazis in the strets is what the Second Amendment is about? That IS pretty fucking funny.

[TexasMexican]

87. Having a public shootout is preferable...

to having a public massacre.

If neonazis have guns then I want guns, I want my family and friends to have guns.

Guess what, Hispanics arent jews. (well atleast not most of us)

[MrBenchley]

89. Yeah, koresh forbid

any fucking thing be done to keep nutcases and criminals from getting the guns in the first place, as a solid majority of Americans wish....let's have a shootout!!

"Guess what, Hispanics arent jews"
Guess what? Crazies are crazies....and they all seem to cream their jeans over asssault weapons.

[slackmaster]

79. They don't even care

Everyone knows Assault is bad.

Everyone knows Weapons are bad.

Ergo:

Everyone knows Assault Weapons must be really, really bad.

:dunce:

[MrBenchley]

82. But folks like the Aryan Nation DO care