Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Whether the Semi-Automatic Weapons Ban Passes Depends on What Happens to the Senate Rules (McCain)
Red State ^ | January 4th, 2013 at 05:48 PM | Michael Hammond

Posted on 01/08/2013 4:06:24 PM PST by Red Steel

McCAIN MAY BE WORKING TO STAB US IN THE BACK

It was reported yesterday that Vice President Joe Biden “guaranteed” to ailing Boston Mayor Tom Menino that sweeping gun control legislation would be passed by the end of January.

How sweeping?

A quick look at Feinstein’s semi-auto ban legislation suggests that up to 75% of all handguns currently in circulation would be banned, along with 50% of all long guns.

Depending on its configuration, the AR-15 you already have would probably be treated like a machine gun. You would have to be fingerprinted, background checked by the FBI, and undergo a six-month license application process to keep it. And when you die, the government will seize it.

If you don’t get an NFA license, you can expect the SWAT teams to descend on your house.

But, you ask, how could such rabidly anti-gun legislation ever get past Congress?

For an answer, look at what happened on the fiscal cliff.

The Senate would change its rules so that it could pass a gun ban with only 50 votes (plus the vote of Vice President Joe Biden) -– or so that you could write the gun ban in a House-Senate conference committee on a must-pass bill. Democrats like West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, Nevada’s Harry Reid, and Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey — who will not have to run for reelection for awhile –- will cast “courageous” votes for this gun ban.

And it will hit the House with enormous momentum –- momentum which House Speaker John Boehner (who has already called for a dialogue on gun control) may not have the courage to resist.

But the first step will be to demolish the Senate rules so that gun control only requires 50 votes -– or so that gun control can be inserted in the conference report on a must-pass bill. And this is where John McCain comes in.

McCain is angry that Kentucky Senator Rand Paul worked with Gun Owners of America on a variety of pro-gun issues that slowed down his defense funding bill. And it is no secret why McCain loves House-Senate conferences: Just last month, he and Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin used the DoD conference to demolish position adopted by Senate supermajorities, including the prohibition on indefinitely detaining American citizens without trial. Therefore, McCain and Levin are out to punish Paul and GOA for opposing his legislation to indefinitely detain American citizens.

So they are working together on a series of rules changes to, inter alia, make gun control a lot easier to pass.

The first McCain-Levin rules change would make it impossible to fight a motion to proceed to gun control legislation. Remember ObamaCare? Our last real shot to kill ObamaCare was by filibustering the motion to proceed to it. Once the motion to proceed was adopted, the bill became amendable and Harry Reid could play “let’s-make-a-deal.”

The second McCain-Levin rules change would make it easier to add gun control to a bill in conference. Currently, senators can block a conference. If the McCain proposals are adopted, a must-pass bill could be sent to conference, amended in conference with a draconian gun ban, and then sent back to the House and the Senate on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

McCain will try to tell you that that would be outside the “scope of conference.” But “scope of conference” rules are never followed. Gramm-Rudman was written in conference from the ground up.

The third McCain-Levin rules change would block any amendments except for those Leader McConnell and Manager McCain proposed. All other senators would be out in the cold.

This McCain-Levin package must be stopped.

Senator Rand Paul is currently planning to offer an amendment requiring a two-thirds vote in the Senate before any anti-gun measure can be passed.

I know. I know. If it were up to me, gun control would not be able to be passed with 100 votes. But we need to propose something which will pass the Senate.

So this is the “day of march.” We saw, with the resolution of the fiscal cliff debate, how the diminution of the Senate rules (and Republican courage) can lead to historically bad results.

But if conservatives allow these rules changes to be implemented, they have no reason to complain when the rules allow them to be defeated in battles over the debt limit, the continuing resolution, and sequestration.

In those battles, the rules -– which are now up for debate -– will determine whether we win or lose.


TOPICS: Front Page News; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: banglist; govtabuse; guncontrol; hangingonlightpoles; mccain; secondamendment; treason; tyranny; youwillnotdisarmus
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-78 last
To: Red Steel

I doubt that Dingy Harry will ever bring Feinstein’s bill to the floor for a vote. He wants to get re-elected himself and there are a bunch of red state Dems up for re-election in 2014. They will not vote for gun control right now. These pols all know that the mood of the country is not for gun control.


61 posted on 01/08/2013 8:50:31 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel
McCAIN MAY BE WORKING TO STAB US IN THE BACK

No way. Lettuce is a stalwart defended of freedom and a loyal conservative! [choke] Almost wasn't able to type the words.

62 posted on 01/08/2013 9:48:11 PM PST by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel
McCAIN MAY BE WORKING TO STAB US IN THE BACK

He can't help it.

It's what he does!

63 posted on 01/08/2013 10:26:29 PM PST by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dead Corpse

Oh believe me, I don’t feel bad about thinking it at all. In fact, since there’s not a thing I can do since so many of ny fellow ‘conservatives’ spent the last several years telling me how I had to vote in the very people who just caved on the fiscal cliff thing and will in all likelihood cave on all or even part of the 2nd Amendment, I am taking enormous pleasure in their “WHATT!!! THIS IS NOT FAIR!!!” sniveling.

We tried to tell them principles mattered. We tried to tell them the GOP was only going to screw them. And all we got for our troubles was excuses that continue to this very day and called ‘traitors to our country’ for not going bug nuts over their lib candidates. And I don’t just mean Romney.

Know what? Good. They damn well got what they asked for so they can all STFU about it. When they had the chance to stand up for what was right, they turned their backs on what they claimed to believe in and did everything they could to ‘Win” Well lookie at what they “won”..

We can’t trust a thing the GOP tells us and they side with the Dems more often than not.

Some “Win”

Pissed. Boy am I. And I could give a damn what the idiots have to say because they know I and others like me were 100% right all along.

/Rant


64 posted on 01/08/2013 10:40:17 PM PST by Norm Lenhart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: aMorePerfectUnion
So, is that a yes?

I see where you are coming from and I'm tempted as well to sit home on election day until the GOP gives us a truly conservative candidate to vote for—it may be the only way to teach them short of starting a third party.

But the damn Democrats keep nominating America hating liberal fascists and then it's either Hell or an uncomfortable place and you just can't let the biggest evil bastard win without a fight.

It sux

65 posted on 01/09/2013 2:42:54 AM PST by Happy Rain ("Banning guns over Adam Lanza would be like banning speech over Bill Maher.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Happy Rain

Wouldn’t cover bolt-, pump- or lever-action.

Not that that’s any reason for celebration.


66 posted on 01/09/2013 3:20:15 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: DuncanWaring
The fittings on some lever action rifles that allow for constant firing (remember the opening scene of “The Rifleman?”) makes them appear somewhat semi-auto or potentially semi-auto and may give the gun grabbers an excuse to ban them as well.

Which would be a shame since a pistol round lever action makes for a decent home defense weapon.

67 posted on 01/09/2013 3:29:22 AM PST by Happy Rain ("Banning guns over Adam Lanza would be like banning speech over Bill Maher.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: Brooklyn Attitude

This issue covers both dims and republicans and it is THE “line in the sand”... watch. I understand what you are saying but this is the foundation of this Republic and enough in DC know it... the communists will vote to ban and they may get it through the communist Senate but the House will not go for it.

LLS


68 posted on 01/09/2013 3:52:23 AM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Wouldn’t any legislation have to originate and pass the House first?


69 posted on 01/09/2013 3:52:36 AM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously, you won't live through it anyway)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Gee, what happened to the House?


70 posted on 01/09/2013 4:02:01 AM PST by Little Ray (Waiting for the return of the Gods of the Copybook Headings.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: okie01
So true.
71 posted on 01/09/2013 4:10:57 AM PST by Nuc 1.1 (Nuc 1 Liberals aren't Patriots. Remember 1789!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: Renegade
And guess who will end up with the swat teams full auto toys and other goodies!

That conveniently shoot the same 5.56 ammo as the guns they are coming after..

72 posted on 01/09/2013 4:14:34 AM PST by IamConservative (The soul of my lifes journey is Liberty!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: Happy Rain

I can just imagine using a portable battery pack and actuator in the butt stock that will perform the same lever action electrically, or a co2 cylinder and piston.


73 posted on 01/09/2013 4:15:34 AM PST by Eye of Unk (AR2 2013 is the American Revolution part 2 of 2013)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: Eye of Unk
If you had a Winchester 94 with an attached hamster cage where the little rodent runs on a treadmill that operates the lever action, the gunphobes would consider that a fully automatic weapon...and since the idea is now out there they must now ban all lever action rifles...

...when they should just ban hamsters;)

74 posted on 01/09/2013 4:39:31 AM PST by Happy Rain ("Banning guns over Adam Lanza would be like banning speech over Bill Maher.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: Happy Rain

I would not be surprised if someone came up with a kit that would indeed turn a lever action into something that fires continuously.

If a full ban gets started and indeed America prepares for the second revolutionary war millions of new AR owners will be searching for burst and full auto sear kits, or getting a 3D printer to make copies they can then use as parts for molds and to then make cast metal parts.

Because of the superior firepower of multiple agencies with a lot more ammunition Americans need an edge other than being numerically superior and having bad breath.


75 posted on 01/09/2013 4:52:43 AM PST by Eye of Unk (AR2 2013 is the American Revolution part 2 of 2013)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Eye of Unk
Some clip fed bolt action rifles are so simple smooth and fast I think it possible a portable battery powered attachment could operate both the loading and firing at fully automatic speeds.

Take out the bottom of the rifle where the clip resides and install a magazine or belt feed capable mechanism and one has a fairly portable mini-gun—retool the works to allow fast barrel replacements and you have a very accurate and deadly weapon.

You know, If the fascist gunphobes do succeed in taking our semi-autos, it will indeed create a cottage industry in home grown AUTOMATIC weapons—then the Obama jackbooted commie thugs will have a real time.

76 posted on 01/09/2013 5:26:39 AM PST by Happy Rain ("Banning guns over Adam Lanza would be like banning speech over Bill Maher.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: Brooklyn Attitude
If they screw us on this... it will be war. obama is going to sigh an EO banning everything anyway so this will be settled in the SCOTUS and Heller vs DC is now the LAW. “Shall Not Be Infringed”. obama is not king... not yet... and this may end his presidency for all intents and purposes.

LLS

77 posted on 01/09/2013 12:04:06 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: Happy Rain

Ruger .308 Scout.


78 posted on 01/09/2013 1:39:16 PM PST by Red Steel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-78 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson