The politics of gunplay(IA)

globegazette.com ^ | 12 February, 2012 | Mark Wiser

[marktwain]

DES MOINES — Matt Windschitl turned a half-swivel in his chair and stuck his right hand out, palm up, stopping National Rifle Association lobbyist Chris Rager from walking out the door.

Windschitl, 28, a member of the House Republican leadership team from Missouri Valley, had just watched his “stand your ground” bill sail through a legislative committee.

“This,” Windschitl said as Rager shook his hand, “is just the start.”

The bill would allow Iowans to respond with deadly force if they feel threatened and would protect them from liability in some cases.

This session Windschitl also has proposed legislation that makes it a crime for local governments to ban firearms from public buildings, lifts the firearm prohibition on the State Fairgrounds and adds wording to the Iowa Constitution that makes it harder to place restrictions on firearm ownership, transportation and use.

Republicans hold a 60-40 majority in the House, but in the Senate, Democrats rule 26-24.

Key senators say that the firearms legislation being pushed now in the House won’t ever make it to a vote in committee in the Senate.

“Our position is we are not doing any of those bills. We don’t think they’re good policy,” said Sen. Robert Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“Senate Democrats have a consistent, unrelenting focus on jobs, the economy, education and training, and that’s where we’re focused on, and we’re not going to get into a gun-rights sideshow.”

[marktwain]

Yes, many Democrats believe that "social justice" legislation is far more important than Constitutional rights.

[FrankR]

• Guns have only two enemies rust and politicians.
• Its always better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
• Cops carry guns to protect themselves, not you.
• Never let someone or something that threatens you get inside arms length.
• Never say “I’ve got a gun”. If you need to use deadly force, the first sound they hear should be the safety clicking off.
• The average response time of a 911 call is 23 minutes, the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per second.
• The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win - cheat if necessary.
• Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets . . . You may get killed with your own gun, but he’ll have to beat you to death with it, cause it’ll be empty.
• If you’re in a gun fight:
If you’re not shooting, you should be loading.
If you’re not loading, you should be movin,
if you’re not movin’, your dead.
• In a life and death situation, do something . . . It may be wrong, but do something!
• If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid. Nonsense! If you have a gun, what do you have to be paranoid about?
• You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or any other word, but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head is pretty much a universal language.
• You cannot save the planet, but you may be able to save yourself and your family.

[newgeezer]

How convenient it is for Hogg and his ilk that we have a lousy economy for them to hide behind. Seems like they’re exploiting their constituents’ hardship for their own political gain. Ooh, what a big surprise that is.