Senate Kills Gun Control Efforts

Senate Kills Gun Control Efforts

By Jeff Knox

(April 18, 2013)

It looks like gun control efforts in the US Senate are effectively dead for the time being, after the Senate voted down 7 gun-related proposals during a contentious session full of hyperbole, exaggerations, and outright lies on Wednesday, April 17. More emotional speechifying was presented the next day as the final two amendments were debated: an amendment to restrict federal funds from states that do not safeguard gun owner information, and an amendment to enhance mental health and suicide prevention services. Both of these amendments were adopted, but no vote had been taken or scheduled on the underlying bill, S.649, as of this writing, and retiring (Yay!) Senator Frank Lautenberg has thrown together a new amendment to restrict “gunpowder” in response to the terrorist bombing of the Boston Marathon. Since the provisions of S.649 are more restrictive than the amendments already rejected by senators, it is not expected that it could pass, but we’re not lowering our guard. This fight’s not quite over in the Senate yet and after watching what was done to pass ObamaCare, there’s no telling what this regime might do.
The Firearms Coalition is urging our members and readers to continue putting pressure on Senators – thanking those who voted against gun control and urging them to continue to stand fast, and urging those who voted wrong to do their best to make amends. We’re also encouraging people to take note of those who voted wrong, and remember them come election time. A full breakdown of the day’s important votes is posted at www.FirearmsCoalition.org.

In the Republican-controlled House of Representatives there has been little sign of support for gun control. Speaker John Boehner has been careful to speak only in general terms of violence prevention and improving mental health services, avoiding talk of gun control or “gun violence.” He and his colleagues need to be encouraged to keep gun control completely off the table.
Meanwhile, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (whose very name is a lie) is using the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon as fodder for fundraising and pushing their anti-gun agenda. In an email fundraising appeal/call to action, Brady president Dan Gross made the illogical leap that it is the availability of dangerous tools that causes violence. In the appeal Gross offered condolences to the victims and families of the Boston bombing and then said:

“Regardless of whether casualties are caused by knives, guns or bombs, Americans have had enough. We can no longer be a nation that makes it easy for terrorists, criminals and other dangerous people to get their hands on the deadly tools that enable mass murder.”

He followed this backwards “logic” by calling for people to contact senators and “Tell them you reject violence in all forms, and urge their support for expanded background checks as an important next step to make our nation safer.”

Rejecting violence is all well and good, and I strongly support Mr. Gross and his followers’ right to do so, but not at the expense of my right to defend my family and community.
A demented videogame addict murders his mother, steals her guns, and goes to “run up a score” at a local elementary school… A wacked-out college student seriously injures a dozen classmates by slashing them with an X-Acto knife… Terrorists use gunpowder, or fertilizer, or bat poop in pressure cookers full of screws, nails and ball bearings to kill and injure runners and spectators at the Boston Marathon… And Dan Gross and the Brady Bunch say that the answer to such demented violence is to restrict, investigate, and track tens of millions of non-criminal, non-violent Americans who choose to exercise their constitutional right and civic responsibility to keep and bear arms.

Evil, violent, demented people are going to do evil, violent, demented things regardless of how constrained and helpless we make the rest of society. None of the proposed laws would have prevented or mitigated any of the recent atrocities, but there does seem to be a trend of these violent criminals choosing “soft targets” where people have been disarmed. And the thing that is almost never discussed is the billions of dollars that go into enforcing these ineffective gun control measures – billions of dollars that could be being spent on better mental health programs, proven violence prevention programs, and keeping serious threats contained in prisons and hospitals.

The irrational threats of the hoplophobes have been blocked for the moment, but they are not giving up on their misguided dreams. They will continue to press for new restrictions as they pray for the next atrocity to fuel their agenda. That’s why we must remain vigilant, and start planning for the 2014 elections. The Senate votes were much too close for comfort so along with blocking current assaults, we need to begin focusing our energy on establishing a truly Brady-proof Congress.