Gun Ban Lobby Aims for Wrong Target; Brady Moms Should Push for Controlling Criminals

Gun Ban Lobby Aims for Wrong Target; Brady Moms Should Push for Controlling Criminals, Not Law-Abiding Gun Owners

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Contact: David Adams of Virginia Shooting Sports Association, 804-382-9501 or http://www.myvssa.org

RICHMOND, May 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As the Million Mom March pink RV rolls into Richmond to push for re-authorization of the Clinton Gun Ban, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA), the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association, urged Congress to let the ban expire as scheduled on September 13th.

Steve Canale, President of the VSSA said, "Sadly, Mayor McCollum is following in the footsteps of his predecessor Tim Kaine, bowing at the alter of the Million Mom March and their call for more restrictive gun control."

Canale continued, "Today the gun ban lobby has traveled to Virginia to renew their call for reauthorization of the Clinton gun ban. Even the gun ban lobby's own Tom Diaz (Violence Policy Center) told NPR on March 11, 2004 that, 'If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another in terms of our objective, which is reducing death and injury and getting a particularly lethal class of firearms off the streets. So if it doesn't pass, it doesn't pass.'"

Faced with the prospect of the Clinton gun ban expiring on September 13, the gun ban lobby is once again engaging in a desperate and deceptive political campaign. In this latest attempt to push their political agenda through blatant hype and deliberate misinformation, the Brady Campaign, in referring to "Uzis" and "AK-47s," states that, these specific firearms will be in our neighborhoods unless the Clinton gun ban is renewed.

"The truth is that AK-47s and Uzis were prohibited in 1989, under federal firearm importation law, five years prior to the enactment the Clinton ban! The expiration of the Clinton gun ban will not in any way affect this previous law. The gun ban lobby including the Brady Campaign is lying. This RV tour is more about politics than sound policy. What works is locking up violent criminals, not taking away the rights of law abiding citizens" Canale said.

More facts about semi-automatic firearms that the gun ban lobby does not tell the public:

-- Firearms branded as "assault weapons" have never been used in more than 1 percent-2 percent of violent crimes according to police reports and felon surveys, and in only 0.25 percent of violent crimes reported in crime victim surveys. Congress` study found that the guns "were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders."3 Knives, clubs and bare hands are used in more than 20 times more murders.

-- Millions of Americans use semi-autos for hunting, target shooting and protection. Guns like the hunting and target shooting rifles shown below would be banned under federal and/or state "assault weapon" bills. The Remington Models 7400 and 7600, and Browning BAR, are popular deer rifles. Remington`s Model 1100 and Beretta`s Model 391 shotguns are widely used for hunting and sport shooting. The Colt AR-15 and Springfield M1A are the nation's most popular rifles for marksmanship competitions. Ruger Ranch Rifles and 10/22s are popular hunting and plinking rifles.

-- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it can "in no way vouch for the validity" of Brady Campaign's claim that the federal "assault weapon" law reduced crime. Brady mischaracterized BATFE`s firearm chain-of-commerce traces, which the Congressional Research Service says "are not accurate indicators" of criminal gun use. Most guns that are traced have not been used to commit violent crimes, and most guns used to commit violent crimes are never traced.

-- FBI reports contradict the Violence Policy Center's claim about "assault weapons" and the police. FBI incident summaries indicate that the guns are rarely used to kill police officers.

-- Semi-automatics are not machine guns. Machine guns have been regulated by the National Firearms Act since 1934. By comparison, semi-automatics, like other guns, fire only one shot at a time.

-- Semi-automatics are not "more powerful" than other guns. Semi-auto rifles and shotguns use the same ammunition as other guns. Semi-auto pistols use ammunition comparable to, but shaped differently than, revolver ammunition. The AK-47, which anti-gun groups call "high powered," is less powerful than the modestly- powered .30-30 Winchester, the most popular deer rifle in American history.

Affiliated with: The Director of Civilian Marksmanship, The National Rifle Association, The Virginia Outdoor Sports Information Network, Virginia Firearms Education Institute, Inc., National Shooting Sports Foundation, Virginia Wildlife Federation

Bang

Gun Control is not about facts, reduced crime, or justice. Gun Control is about "feelings," "concerns," and the image of protecting the common citizen from crime. It has nothing to do with reality. We need to understand that and address it. With the sunset provision it requires activity on the part of pro-gun control folks in this election year.

The professional Democratic politicians know this is a "wedge" issue between the middle undecided voters being against gun control and a core democratic party consituency group being pro-gun control.

Anything that the Brady folks do to encourage action by Democratic congressmen and senators who are running for re-election, will help get some of those democrats defeated at the polls this November.

More than "feelings" or "concern," gun control is also about some people's belief that there's a regulatory or technical solution to every problem. Some people want to believe that if we just get the right set of laws enacted and develop the right technologies, tragedy will disappear as a part of human existance. The reality is that a good society depends on good people making good decisions. Without those people and those decisions, society will be brutish. I don't want to live in the kind of society where I can't trust my neighbor to own a rifle with a magazine holding more than ten rounds. If we can't produce citizens who can be trusted with firearms, we won't have a healthy society.

Defining Personal Responsibility
Bill

...gun control is also about certain politicians exploiting some people's naive belief that there's a regulatory or technical solution to every problem. Some people want to believe that if we just get the right set of laws enacted and develop the right technologies, tragedy will disappear as a part of human existance. The reality is that a good society depends on good people making good decisions. Without those people and those decisions, society will be brutish. I don't want to live in the kind of society where I can't trust my neighbor to own a rifle with a magazine holding more than ten rounds. If we can't produce citizens who can be trusted with firearms, we won't have a healthy society. However, among politicians that preach "class war" and "victimization" there is a need for these same politicians to divide the population into groups that have no trust in the other group, and naively believe that only the politicans that represent their group can protect them from the other group.

I hope you didn't mind a few edits. I feel that we both believe strongly in personal responsibility. I was

...What is the next step, outlawing locks?

If we look to the UK as a model, it is not outlawing locks, but outlawing the right to defend oneself, by any means.

Remember this is all about politics, not about justice, fairness or common sense.

There are many examples (Mr. Martin is not a good one) of folks who were attacked in their own home and tried to defend themselves and were then convicted of using a weapon.

I see the next step and indicating that only the police have the legal right to harm anyone, including a criminal. That the rest of us need to just run (if we can), call the police, and pray we aren't hurt too badly.

I am sure that the MMM & Brady folks would say that in such a situation the criminal will only take property and not harm people (but they probably don't believe that lie either).

Once folks are conditioned to such a situation, and once the liberals gain political control, then everyone will know that they have to keep the criminals on the "public dole" or else they will start getting serious about stealing and so the masses will need to insure that those in power stay in power.

Remember it is all about politics and being given power

(Digression) Politicians, especially liberals, like big government that they control and go nuts when they aren't in control for they know exactly how they would "punish" their political opponents and project that conservatives will do that (ever wonder why the Dem's are so afraid of Bush Judicial appointments, the court chamber is where the prison time meets the road and it counts to make sure you have stacked the chamber if you are a politician and ever get caught!).

They also like a helpless public that looks to them for protection and is dependent upon them for all things important.

If you ever want to see politicians go crazy, suggest that vigilantess were a good thing in the old west and see them go un-glued. They know that there is a fine line between vigilante justice, revolution and mob rule and want to make sure that never happens when they are in power.

In this country courts have said that the police are not liable and responsible for the protection of the public. Therefore, to insure life, liberty......we have a right to protect ourselves. What I like about many state constitutions is that in their equivalent to the bill of rights they state that folks have a right to keep and bear arms for both their individual protection and for the protection of the state.

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