Twenty years ago -- two decades before the mass killing in Colorado that took the lives of 12 people trying to watch Dark Knight Rises -- Senator Dianne Feinstein of California called for a ban on military assault weapons. On Sunday night, she brought it up again.
"Weapons of war don't belong on the streets," she said on Fox News. This came on the heels of Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, announcing that no new policy would come up as the result of these shootings. Feinstein then acknowledged this debate will not take place during an election year for obvious reason.
Does this strike anyone else as insane? Just because people are trying to get votes, we can't have a sane and civil discussion about the proliferation of "weapons of war" on our streets? Wow. I suddenly feel so safe. See her comments below:
This is one of the most difficult parts of politics. When push comes to shove, in an election year, nothing that matters can get done. Even if a politician believes in something, they are too busy sucking up to people to actually take a stand.
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It seems fairly obvious that assault weapons should be banned. These are weapons of war that are used to kill, period. Why does anyone need these? And why is Feinstein the only person with enough courage to say anything about it.
Say what you will about Obama, but there is no doubt that he is a brilliant man. So why can't he see that certain issues matter more than winning an election and protecting the people is one of them?
Twelve young people are dead because one madman was able to legally obtain weapons of war. Sure, it might not stop madmen. They will be able to get guns one way or another. But at least then it's on the black market where, believe it or not, there might be more of a watchful eye. He was able to buy it all, free and unrestricted thanks to our laws (or lack thereof).
I realize I am in the minority and I feel very lucky to live in a state where guns are tightly regulated and very few homes have guns. But this isn't the culture I want to raise my kids in. I don't want these massacres to be the price we pay for people's "constitutional right" to "bear arms," which, by the way, is much more complicated than most gun nuts will have us all believe.
So we will keep on keeping on because it's an election year. In two years maybe no one will remember the pain of these past few days and all the senseless violence. It will be just another gun massacre. There have been so many, after all. And since no one has the sense to make any changes, we can fully expect it to happen again.
After all, it's an election year.
Does this disgust anyone else?
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Comments 25
Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws in the country and yet, they have an enormous homicide rate from gun shootings. The use of 'Assault" weapon and "weapons of war" is a fear tactic and ridiculous. All guns held by a madman will assault. YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 2nd Amendment - the right to bear arms, and reference to a "well armed militia" - was not put in place to keep the police and the army flush with firearms. It was put in place to give the people, regular citizens like you and me, redress in the horrific event that the government goes completely rogue. If the government becomes completely out of control and starts being oppressive - like it was in our Founding Father's day, levying taxes on everything, removing rights willy-nilly - it is in place so that the people can rise up and defend themselves against that repressive government.
Now, am I saying that we all need to arm ourselves and march on D.C? No. I AM saying that, before we talk about banning guns of any kind based on a knee-jerk reaction to some lunatic whack-job, we ARM ourselves with knowledge of the Constitution and why each of those provisions it contains were put into place.
As others have stated - outlaw any kind of guns, and you only disarm the law-abiding citizens. See Chicago Gang Violence.