"Halt the Assault": Million Mom Marchers to Return to D.C. After 4 Years, Thousands of Lost Lives

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=117-04062004 ^

[chance33_98]

"Halt the Assault": Million Mom Marchers to Return to D.C. After 4 Years, Thousands of Lost Lives; America's Landmark Assault Weapons Law Hangs In the Balance

4/6/2004 9:40:00 AM

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To: National and Assignment desks

Contact: Rob Wilcox of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March, 202-898-0792

WASHINGTON, April 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Across America, mothers and others are organizing buses, stapling flyers in the supermarkets, calling into radio shows and organizing local press conferences. They're securing entertainment talent, stuffing envelopes in church basements and calling their representatives in Congress.

The message to all: Mother's Day in Washington will be the kickoff of the mother of all grassroots efforts -- a relentless campaign to get President Bush and Congress to save the assault weapons ban and take other steps to protect our neighborhoods and our children from gun violence that takes the lives of almost 30,000 Americans a year.

In 162 days, barring Congressional action, military-style assault weapons now banned by law will be legal again. Just in time for America's children to go back to school, Uzis and AK-47s will be for sale legally again.

The chapter-based grassroots Million Mom March organization will demonstrate on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Mother's Day, May 9, to begin a national drive to save the law -- with a particular focus on getting President Bush to keep his campaign pledge to renew it. Among the notables who have agreed to speak are parents of children lost at Columbine High School, authors, law enforcement leaders, faith-based leaders and women's leaders. A detailed lineup of speakers will be released at a later date.

"The President's men keep saying 'the President's position is clear,'" says Shikha Hamilton, a single mother from Detroit, Michigan who is the official spokeswoman of the 2004 Mother's Day March to Halt the Assault. "Those of us who hear gunfire in the middle of the night would appreciate a little more clarity. There's no sensible, rational explanation to let this law expire."

The Mother's Day activities will begin at 10 a.m. with an interfaith service and continue at 11 with testimonials from victims of gun violence, remarks by other gun safety advocates, and entertainment throughout the afternoon. Details as available will be included in future media advisories and also posted at http://www.mmm2004.com.

The evening before Mother's Day (Sat., May 8), Million Mom March members and other supporters will gather at the first-ever "NRA Blacklist Ball" in Washington D.C., a fundraiser for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March. The event's name plays off the blacklist of people and groups the NRA maintains on its website. (For more, see http://www.nrablacklist.com.)

The founder of the first Million Mom March, Donna Dees- Thomases, has just published a book about her experience. Looking For a Few Good Moms was just published by Rodale Press.

"If America's mothers fail to make themselves heard, then just around the time we're stocking up on back-to-school supplies next September, terrorists, drug lords, and the mentally unstable will be able to stock up on assault weapons that can wipe out a school yard full of kids in a matter of minutes," Dees-Thomases wrote in the book's closing. "As mothers, we cannot let that happen."

News media wishing to produce advance stories or packages on the March plans are invited to contact Rob Wilcox of the Million Mom March united with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence at 202-898-0792. The organization can set up interviews with Million Mom Marchers in scores of cities around the country.

Credentialing for press who wish to cover the march will follow with a separate media advisory to be shipped to news outlets April 12.

As the nation's largest national, non-partisan, chapter-based grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Million Mom March united with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is dedicated to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in their communities.

[TC Rider]

The only thing 'deadlier' about assault weapons after the expiration will be the addition of bayonet lugs.

If we are going to be hysterical about bayonets, then it's time to round up the butcher knives, Grandpa's sword, etc.

[DMZFrank]

Gun grabbers are increasingly trying to separate the right to keep and bear arms from its constitutional underpinnings. To everyone but many liberals and gun grabbers the word militia implies a body organized for military use. The Supreme Court Miller decision of 1939 held that the militia was 'A body of citizens enrolled for military discipline.' And further that ordinarily when called for service these men were expected to appear bearing arms supplied by themselves and of the kind in common use at the time."

To begin with, only the national government was represented at the trial. With nobody arguing to the contrary, the court followed standard court procedure and assumed that the law was constitutional until proven otherwise. If both sides were present, the outcome may have been much different.

However, since only one party showed up, the case will stand in the court records as is. As to the militia, Mr. Justice McReynolds related the beliefs of the Founding Fathers when commenting historically about the Second Amendment. He stated that, ". . .The common view was that adequate defense of country and laws could be secured through the militia- civilians primarily, soldiers on occasion.

"The significance attributed to the term Militia appears from the debates in the Convention, the history and legislation of Colonies and States, and the writings of approved commentators. These show plainly enough that the Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense.

It is clear that the firearms that are most suited for modern-day militia use are those semi automatic military pattern weapons that the yellow press calls "assault weapons". Since nations such as the Swiss trust their citizenry with true selective fire assault rifles, it seems to me that this country ought to be at least able to trust its law-abiding citizenry with the semi automatic version.

Self-defense is a vital corollary benefit of the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. But its primary constitutional reason for being is for service in the well-regulated militia which is necessary to the security of a free state. Don't let the gun grabbers and their politician allies separate us from the constitutional reason for the right to keep and bear arms. Miltary pattern weapons are precisly the weapons that should be MOST constitutionally protected. Even defenders of the right often neglect the constitutional aspect of it, and concentrate on their near non-existent use in crime.

PostScript: In the vernacular of the founders well-regulated meant well drilled and organized.

[B4Ranch]

"He was crazy but he wasn't blind! He knew how to operate the weapon. But he was psyched up with the glamor image of that weapon. He was not controlling that weapon; it was controlling him."

You're crazy if you own a gun!

No! You're crazy if the gun owns you!

[Peter J. Huss]

I just wanted to make it clear that I don't entirely agree with Kurt Saxon. Yes, you have to be able to aim, but why not aim an AW weapon? At 100 yards or less, I would want nothing less, if my life depended on it.

[mudblood]

"Gun grabbers are increasingly trying to separate the right to keep and bear arms from its constitutional underpinnings. To everyone but..."

This is actually pretty interesting reading. Thanks for the information. Now I know why I joined the Free Republic.

[DMZFrank]

Glad to help. Now spread the word.

[Travis McGee]

And what are your expert credentials in firearms, I'm curious to know?

[Travis McGee]

I've been trying to convince my wife to let us get a gun for the house for over a year now.

I feel sorry for you.

[Travis McGee]

My reading of that history is that he had splitting headaches and explosive temper outbursts in the weeks before he climbed the tower.

[paleocon patriarch]

"They ought to march about the 40 million lives lost to real WMD: forceps and suction devices used to kill unborn innocents."

Best post I've seen in a while. Short and to the point.

[FlyVet]

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Liars. You are Handgun Control Incorporated. You like to control people. If you weren't such liars, you would have stuck to your "guns", and not changed your name.

[archy]

If I recall correctly, the jerk who pulled the trigger at that massacre was a former Marine. I think the bigger question to ask is why weren't the people on that college campus armed?

They were. The cops, then equipped mostly with shotguns and revolvers, were pinned down and mostly limited to trying to rescue those who'd already been hit, and trying to keep anyone else from entering any of the shooter's kill zone; Whitman had been making hits out to beyond 500 meters. But several Texans who had their deer rifles with them returned fire effectively enough that Whitman had to take cover and no longer had easy shots he could take at liesure. And when the police entered the building to try and put an end to the massacre for good, a deputized citizen named Allen Crum with his personally owned M1 carbine *assault ridle* was with them. *Story Here.*

By now word of what was happening had spread, and police began returning fire toward the Tower, trying to pick off Charlie as he rose up over the parapet to take aim. Citizens went home and got their own guns, and hundreds of shots chipped away at the Tower in the next hour. Charlie began shooting through the rainspouts on each side of the building, making himself virtually impossible to hit. He switched guns from time to time. The greater part of his killing had been done in his first twenty minutes on the observation deck, but he was not finished. Over 500 yards to the South, city electricians Solon McCown and Roy Dell Schmidt parked their truck and joined a group of reporters and spectators. They huddled behind cars for safety. Schmidt, probably thinking that they were out of range, stood up. He was hit in the abdomen, and was dead ten minutes later. brbr As more victims fell, police officers made their various ways to the Tower. Austin Police Officers Jerry Day, Houston McCoy, and Ramiro Martinez, Department of Public Safety Officer W.A. Cowan, civilian Allen Crum and others converged on the 27th floor. They cleared the floor and brought down Mary and Mike Gabour, who had lain critically wounded in a deep pool of blood for over an hour. Martinez and Crum moved carefully up the steps and into the reception area. McCoy and Day soon followed. There was no definite plan of action; each man had to improvise as the situation developed. From inside the reception area, they could cover windows on the south, southwest, and west sides of the Tower. Martinez tried the door to the observation deck, but found it had been wedged shut. He kicked the door until the dolly fell away, freeing the door. The men waited and watched the windows.

Ramirez emerged onto the deck, and began crawling toward the northwest corner, where the shots seemed to be coming from. McCoy followed, while Crum and Day guarded the door. As Charlie tried to change position, Crum misfired his gun, sending him back to the northwest corner. There he sat with his back against the north wall, aiming his carbine toward the south, from whence Crum’s shot had come. Martinez and McCoy continued their slow crawl, friendly fire from the ground zinging around them. When Martinez reached the northeast corner, he rounded it and began firing his .38. Charlie tried to return fire but could not bring his weapon around in time. McCoy fired his shotgun twice at Charlie’s head, knocking him to the floor. Martinez then grabbed McCoy’s gun and ran toward Charlie’s twitching body, firing into it point blank. At 1:24 p.m. Charlie was dead.

Charlie Whitman dead (Austin Police Department

[archy]

I've been trying to convince my wife to let us get a gun for the house for over a year now.

That's not a particularly good trade.

[archy]

I say, keep pistols, rifles, shotguns, and let the Marines handle the rest.

How good a job did the Marines do of preventing the hijacking of not one but FOUR airliners by ARMED terrorists 09/11?

They can't be everywhere. And if they could, it'd be a dreadful waste of good Marines.

[Peter J. Huss]

I quoted Kurt Saxon to merely help the poor sap who thinks we don't need assault weapons. Instead of flaming him, I thought I would help him mature his argunment, which is currently based on feelings, not anything really thought out.

I don't consider myself an expert. However, I was in the US Army, Airborne during the first Gulf War. I was in the 10th Mountain Divison as a rifleman and a M-60 gunner. I scored expert on the 9mm, M-16, and the M-60. I also was a good shot with the M-203, but never tested. I spent the summer of 1991 training the new cadets in rifle and pistol marksmanship at the West Pointe Military Academy.

After I got out of the military, I began collecting Curio and Relic rifles. I don't know much about hand guns, and have only owned a Glock 9mm and a Ruger Vaquero .44 (both of which I don't own now).

Currently, my favorite rifle is the Swedish Mauser which I consider the Chrysler Grand Imperial of rifles.

So... I am a hobbyist. If I had a lot of money I would collect M-14s.

[Sci Fi Guy]

Ok, before I get flamed about the guy with the rifle up in the tower: my point about him wasn't his weapons of choice, it was his diseased mind/soul. I picture a guy like that with an automatic weapon.

Further flame protection: pistols can wipe out school yards too - just slower, less effectively.

Actually it's a shame he didn't have an automatic weapon. If he used an an automatic, then he would have wasted all his ammo the first time he squeezed the trigger. At the most one maybe two people would have been hurt. The guy in the texas tower was able to kill so many people because he couldn't shoot all his bullets at once, shooting his bullets one at a time, forced him to aim each bullet at a new target(victim).

Never let your emotions determine your polices.

[Sal]

Just in time for America's children to go back to school, Uzis and AK-47s will be for sale legally again.

"...just around the time we're stocking up on back-to-school supplies next September, terrorists, drug lords, and the mentally unstable will be able to stock up on assault weapons that can wipe out a school yard full of kids in a matter of minutes," Dees-Thomases wrote in the book's closing.

I smell another Columbine being constructed. I sure hope some complicit shrink doesn't drug up some poor mentally unstable kid into a zombie and plant bad things in his head.

[ought-six]

These folks are delusional. Uzis and AK-47s, if capable of full automatic fire, have never legal, excpe for a rare handful of collectors who have been licensed by the feds. The average American citizen has NEVER been allowed to own one.

[ought-six]

"I am not willing to give up freedom to own firearms because of the fears of cowards' and wannabe tyrants. I'll take my chances with freedom."

I'm with you, brother.

[mudblood]

"Actually it's a shame he didn't have an automatic weapon..."

That's a very good point. Hadn't thought of that. In retrospect, it sort of seems like there is no protection from guns - except owning one yourself - period. I'm afraid my immediate, knee-jerk statements way, way above were a carry-over from my more liberal days.

Question for you: in light of the tower analogy, what is your opinion on fully automatic weapons? If they are as easy to buy as a handgun, for example, is this a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not trying to be sarcastic or wow you with the socratic method, I'm trying to determine if my own position, which is that they should remain outlawed, is based upon a solid foundation. And yes, I now know that the ban has nothing to do with fully-auto weapons. My theory is that criminals would be more dangerous with them, in general. Criminals would gravitate to them if they were so easily available, would put them to better use, etc. My final thought is that single-shot weapons result in more extreme cases of physical damage to the body than fully-auto weapons do (though I have no proof of this whatsoever).