From ABC News site:
The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today.
"As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons," Holder told reporters.
Holder said that putting the ban back in place would not only be a positive move by the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.
"I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum." Holder said at a news conference on the arrest of more than 700 people in a drug enforcement crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating in the U.S.
Even NY Times have admitted that the Clinton Assault Weapons ban had no effect on crime, in a rare moment of candor.
Despite dire predictions that the streets would be awash in military-style guns, the expiration of the decade-long assault weapons ban last September has not set off a sustained surge in the weapons' sales, gun makers and sellers say. It also has not caused any noticeable increase in gun crime in the past seven months, according to several metropolitan police departments.
So the new administation is planning to reinstate a law which had no effect in the past. Learning from past mistakes seems to be a quality that current politicians do not have.
This is just another case where someone doesn't understand that gun-limiting laws do NOT affect outlaws, who by definition outlaws live outside the laws. So the only ones really affected by such laws are law-abiding citizens. It's sad that a man who has climbed to the top ranks of US administration can not understand that simple fact, or one has to assume that he is using this poor excuse to cover up his real intentions.
NSSF answer to Att.General Holder:
ReplyDeleteNEWTOWN, Conn. -- Responding to Attorney General Eric Holder's comment yesterday that the Obama Administration will attempt to reinstate a ban against semi-automatic rifles, the National Shooting Sports Foundation reminded Congress and all Americans that such a ban would cause jobs to be lost in a difficult economy, have no effect on reducing crime and would deprive millions of law-abiding sportsmen and gun owners of their Constitutional right to own the firearm of their choice.
Holder made his comments in connection with criminals supplying illegal guns from the United States to drug dealers in Mexico.
"The problem of criminals breaking the law to acquire firearms and illegally smuggling them across the border is not remedied by legislation that would violate the rights of Americans to own semi-automatic firearms," said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF, the trade association of the firearms industry.
"These types of firearms, which are erroneously called 'assault weapons,' are used by millions of Americans for hunting, sporting and personal defense purposes," Sanetti added. "We can only conclude that certain officials are waiting for any politically advantageous excuse to announce the intention to seek a new ban on sporting rifles, a ban that would break the president's campaign promise to gun owners that 'I'm not going to take away your guns.'"
The industry and firearms owners were understandably outraged by Holder's comments yesterday, and today even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed away from the idea of a new gun ban. "On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now," said Pelosi, surprisingly taking the position of pro-gun advocates.
Holder's use of the inaccurate term "assault weapons" is one that is deliberately used by gun-ban advocates to create confusion between legally sold, semi-automatic rifles and look-a-like, fully automatic military versions. While the civilian version of these rifles may resemble their military counterparts, the civilian rifle fires only one round with each pull of the trigger. Additionally, these rifles fire ammunition calibers no more powerful than traditional-looking sporting arms. Civilian access to fully automatic machine guns has been severely restricted since 1934.
Studies show that the ban against sporting firearms, known as the Assault Weapons Ban, that was in place from 1994 to 2004 did not reduce crime. Furthermore, there has been no increase in crime involving these types of firearms since Congress allowed the ban to expire.
A ban on sporting firearms also would have a severe effect on jobs and the economy. Sales of semi-automatic rifles have been strong over the last several months -- overall sales of firearms have increased as much as 42 percent -- and have allowed companies in the firearms industry to withstand, to some extent, the downturn in the economy.
"These semi-automatic rifles are the most popular rifle in America today and they are largely behind the recent increase in firearms sales," said Sanetti. "This is a bright spot in our economy and has helped save jobs in our industry."
Since the election last November gun owners have feared the Obama Administration would seek legislation that would infringe on their Second Amendment rights. "It appears gun owners' fears were well-founded given Attorney General Holder's comment that the Obama Administration will seek new restrictions on gun owners. A new gun ban would fly in the face of last year's Supreme Court decision in the Heller case that reaffirmed the Second Amendment right of all Americans to keep and bear arms," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.
CRKBA and former Congressman Bob Barr on Holder announcement
ReplyDeleteBELLEVUE, WA – Calling the ban on semiautomatic firearms “a bad, and totally unnecessary, lapsed federal law,” former Congressman Bob Barr is urging Attorney General Eric Holder to back away from a plan to renew that onerous idea, and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is joining in the effort.
“While we opposed Holder’s nomination as Attorney General and Barr supported him,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Barr in opposing the ridiculous notion that the ban be resurrected and made permanent.
“The ban on so-called ‘assault weapons’ by Bill Clinton and the Democrats was a bad idea in 1994,” he recalled, “and it is an even worse idea today. We needn’t remind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the mid-term election consequences of the 1994 ban.”
Barr was among dozens of pro-gun challengers swept into Congress by angry gun owners in November 1994. He served from 1995 until 2003. The former Congressman sent a letter to Holder on March 3 in which he explained that pushing for a renewal of the ban “would be inconsistent in my view with the clear mandate you enjoy to restore integrity and confidence in the government of which you are an important part.” He encouraged Holder to instead devote his energies to “restoring the civil liberties of American citizens” that have been er oded over the past several years.
“Many law-abiding gun owners voted for Barack Obama,” Gottlieb added, “taking his word that, as president, he would not come after their guns. Renewing the senseless ban on sport-utility firearms and original capacity magazines would betray the trust of those voters, and Holder should understand that.
“We’re delighted that Bob Barr, who supported Holder’s nomination, has added his considerable influence to this debate,” Gottlieb stated. “With Barr squarely in the corner of American gun owners – millions of whom own the kinds of firearms that would be affected by such a ban – hopefully we will prevail and the Obama administration will find more useful endeavors.”