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RAMPAGE AT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING (Rudy's Response to Terrorist in 1997: More Gun Control!)
NYTimes via LexisNexis ^ | 02/25/1997 | David Firestone

Posted on 04/11/2007 5:32:19 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007

Edited on 04/11/2007 5:35:43 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

About 9 A.M. yesterday, United States Representative Carolyn McCarthy was on her way to Southampton, L.I., for a day off when a call came in from Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's office. Could she turn around and come to City Hall -- right now -- to appear with the Mayor at an 11 o'clock news conference and help make the case that gun control might have prevented the Empire State Building shootings?


(Excerpt) Read more at web.lexis-nexis.com.fetch.mhsl.uab.edu ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: aliabukamal; banglist; giuliani; kamal; rudy; rudyonguns; rudytherino; stoprudy2008; wot
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Hmm. Tough on terrorism? Maybe as long as a gun's not involved.

The terrorist being referred to is Ali Abu Kamal.

Ten years ago this month, on February 24, 1997, a Muslim identified as Ali Abu KAMAL waged his own jihad from the 86th floor observation deck at the Empire State Building. KAMAL, a 69 year-old Palestinian from Ramallah "made some sort of statement about Egypt" before he began shooting at tourists killing one person and wounding six others. He then shot himself in the head and died 5 hours later at a New York hospital. Witnesses stated that during the shooting spree, KAMAL asked potential victims whether they were from Egypt. Then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani attributed the actions of the gunman to his mental state of mind, while police officials later concluded that KAMAL "acted out of rage at monetary loss."

Another thread about Ali Abu Kamal, who killed for political reasons.

And Rudy's response, as he said to the Citizen Crimes Commission?

"Because of this transformation of perception, when this latest tragedy occurred, instead of having to defend New York City, we were able to focus national attention on the real problem, which is gun control. And even as we grieve for those who lost their lives, and our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones, we may be able to find some sort of meaning in this tragedy by using it as a catalyst to revive national gun control efforts."

So...he decides to pursue his long-standing gun control agenda by capitalizing on a shooting from a Muslim terrorist.

...uh-huh.

Seriously, this guy is damaged goods.

1 posted on 04/11/2007 5:32:22 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
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To: Spiff; narses; Liz; wagglebee; Joe Brower; Paperdoll; pissant; airborne; calcowgirl

Stop Rudy ping!


2 posted on 04/11/2007 5:33:23 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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To: areafiftyone; veronica; KATIE-O; noname07718; Cincinatus' Wife

Ya’ll might want to take a look at this.


3 posted on 04/11/2007 5:34:15 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

4 posted on 04/11/2007 5:34:47 PM PDT by WakeUpAndVote (Got Towel?)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007; All

Sorry but Gun Control worked for NYC whether you like it or not. You didn’t live there during the Dinkins era. You have no idea what it was like to walk the streets at night or rid a subway where you were so afraid you might get killed.


5 posted on 04/11/2007 5:34:48 PM PDT by areafiftyone
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To: areafiftyone
What might the opportunity of armed defense have done for your fear?

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -B. Franklin

6 posted on 04/11/2007 5:40:05 PM PDT by Redcloak (The 2nd Amendment isn't about sporting goods.)
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To: areafiftyone

LOL!

Gun control has existed in New York since the Sullivan Act was passed in 1911.

Hear that? NINETEEN ELEVEN.

So if anything, gun control was the REASON for such high crime. It didn’t go down until Rudy enacted tougher crime-fighting measures. It would’ve been a prime opportunity to allow the citizens to rearm themselves (as per their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO DO SO), but he didn’t.


7 posted on 04/11/2007 5:40:39 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007; All

Oh really? And who enforced it??? Certainly not Dinkins or Ed Koch! Rudy enforced the laws on the books! Unlike previous mayor!


8 posted on 04/11/2007 5:43:03 PM PDT by areafiftyone
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To: Ultra Sonic 007; areafiftyone; veronica; KATIE-O; noname07718; Cincinatus' Wife

I’m sorry, but the site required a password. I know Rudy had all types of press conferences and sound bites about gun control. Most of them were for show. What Gun Control laws did Rudy get passed as applies to NYC during his tenure?


9 posted on 04/11/2007 5:43:22 PM PDT by noname07718
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To: areafiftyone

— Sorry but Gun Control worked for NYC ...

So, by your logic, taking legal and useful objects from law-abiding citizens works to reduce criminal activity.

Why, then, did he not take the cars away from everyone to reduce DWIs? Substitute cars for guns and it is the exact same issue.

Gun-control is not a solution for violent criminal criminal behavior.


10 posted on 04/11/2007 5:44:38 PM PDT by rbookward (When 900 years old you are, type as well you will not!)
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To: areafiftyone
Sorry but Gun Control worked for NYC whether you like it or not. You didn’t live there during the Dinkins era. You have no idea what it was like to walk the streets at night or rid a subway where you were so afraid you might get killed.

I remember NYC in the late 1980s...the "Rotten Apple"...and it wasn't gun control that saved the city, it was aggressive, precinct-focused policing, the prosecution of little crimes to help deter bigger ones, and of course, a healthy dose of good ol' capitalism. Rudy brought corporate $$$ into the city, especially Times Square, and turned the city around. It truly was the New York Miracle. NYC is now the safest large city in the world.

11 posted on 04/11/2007 5:47:42 PM PDT by TampaDude (If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the PROBLEM!!!)
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To: All
More:

N.Y. Mayor: Fla. Gun Laws Are `Insane'
The Palestinian Who Unleashed A Barrage Of Deadly Gunfire Sunday At The Empire State Building Bought His Pistol In Florida
.
Sarasota Herald Tribune. Feb 25, 1997

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani blames Florida for making it too easy for the Empire State Building gunman to get his hands on the weapon that killed one person and injured six on Sunday.

"The laws of the state of Florida are irrational and insane from the point of view of a decent, lawful, safe society," Giuliani said, suggesting it is easier to buy a gun than a car in Florida. He wants stricter gun laws nationwide.

EMPIRE STATE SHOOTING SPARKS CALLS FOR GUN CONTROL
Inter Press Service. Feb 25, 1997
NEW YORK, Feb. 25 (IPS) -- A startling shooting incident on Feb. 23 at the Empire State Building, one of New York City's most famous tourist attractions, has led officials here to call for stricter gun control nationwide.

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani argued this week that the main lesson from Ali Abu Kamal's shooting rampage is that all U.S. states must uniformly provide long waiting periods and checks on prospective gun owners' backgrounds before providing licenses for guns.

"Hopefully, this tragedy will focus our attention on the need for uniform gun control laws," Giuliani said at New York's City Hall, a day after Kamal killed one person and wounded six others when he fired randomly on the Empire State Building's 86th-story observation deck. Another eight people were hurt as tourists trampled each other seeking to flee the shooting.

Empire State Building killer sought `enemies'
* New York police find no evidence Palestinian teacher was terrorist

The Fresno Bee, Feb 26, 1997
In a rambling but neatly handwritten letter that he carried in his pocket to his death, the Palestinian teacher who killed one tourist Sunday and wounded six others before killing himself at the Empire State Building said he wanted to murder "my bitter enemies" in a highly visible location.

"My restless ambition is to murder as many of them as possible, and I have decided to strike at their own den in New York, and at the very Empire State Building in particular," Ali Hassan Abu Kamal, 69, wrote in a two-page letter released Tuesday.

The letter listed groups of "enemies" -- beginning with Americans, Britons, French and Zionists -- who Abu Kamal wrote must be "annihilated and exterminated" for carrying out "savage aggression" against the Palestinian people.

"Now the American people must understand the message which runs deep in the blood of every real Palestinian," he wrote in the letter he called the "Charter of Honor."

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said the letter "indicates a man who had many, many enemies in his mind. . . . It is certainly fair to conclude there was a great deal of unreality in this man's mind."

Appropriate Response - Clinton Seeks To Close Loopholes In Gun Laws
Chicago Tribune. Mar 7, 1997
President Clinton responded to weaknesses in the gun laws with some needed steps Wednesday. The immediate catalyst was the case of Ali Hassan Abu Kamal, the Empire State Building gunman...
Thanks to NY gun law, crime dramatically down.
By Rudy W. Giuliani. Filipino Reporter. Mar 20, 1997.]
If Mr. Abu Kamal would have tried to buy a gun in New York, he would not have been able to do so because in New York our gun control laws are much stricter and more responsible than in Florida.

To purchase a gun in the state of New York you have to give your full name, your date of birth, your residence, your occupation. You have to prove that you're a United States citizen, you have to show you are of good character, competency and integrity. And you have to demonstrate a real need for the weapon.

And thanks in part to our stricter gun control laws, crime is down dramatically in N York City. Shootings are down over 50 percent. Murder is down over 50 percent. But the fact is that 90 percent of the guns we take out of the hands of criminals in New York City come from out of the state of New York.

We need a federal law that bans all assault weapons, and if in fact you do need a handgun you should be subjected to at least the same restriction - really stronger ones - that exist for driving a car.

The United States Congress needs to pass uniform licensing for everyone carrying a gun. Congress must do more to prevent a tragedy like the one that happened at the Empire State Building from ever happening again.


12 posted on 04/11/2007 5:48:07 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: areafiftyone
Sorry but Gun Control worked for NYC

But he wasn't talking about NYC... he was talking about NATIONAL gun control.

The United States Congress needs to pass uniform licensing for everyone carrying a gun. Congress must do more to prevent a tragedy like the one that happened at the Empire State Building from ever happening again.
--Rudy Giuliani, March 20, 1997

13 posted on 04/11/2007 5:51:07 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: areafiftyone

What about gun control “made it work”? I can think of three components:

(1)Making the acquisition of guns more difficult for criminals.
(2)Forceful prosecution of crimes committed with guns
(3)Ability to charge a potential perp based on the possession of a gun where in the past, the “perp” would have walked. For example, during a routine roust, if a gun is discovered, then serious charges can be brought.

Of the three, only (3)seems hard to address without infringing on the rights of ordinary citizens to own and possess guns. Prosecutions based on (3) probably have resulted in some criminals NOT carrying guns as a matter of habit.

Can anyone think of a creative way of getting the “benefits” of (3), resulting in the removal of miscreants from the streets, without outlawing general possession?


14 posted on 04/11/2007 5:51:31 PM PDT by the_Watchman
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To: rbookward
So, by your logic, taking legal and useful objects from law-abiding citizens works to reduce criminal activity.

THAT"S A BUNCH OF BULL! I know people who had guns when Rudy was mayor and still have them. You've been listening to the Rudy haters idea of gun control. They act like Rudy went from house to house taking guns away. What a crock!

15 posted on 04/11/2007 5:51:58 PM PDT by areafiftyone
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To: areafiftyone

— Sorry but Gun Control worked for NYC ...

Here’s another one.

The enemy shoots at our soldier because they are armed. Therefore taking our soldier’s weapons away will reduce casualties.

Doesn’t make sense does it?

The answer to being afraid for your own safety is being prepared to take care of yourself.

It is extremely rare for a policeman to be present when a crime is happening; they only show up afterwards to take names. YOU are responsible for your own safety—unless your government makes that illegal!


16 posted on 04/11/2007 5:53:03 PM PDT by rbookward (When 900 years old you are, type as well you will not!)
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To: noname07718
My apologies. Here's a NYTimes archive link.
17 posted on 04/11/2007 5:54:22 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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To: areafiftyone

Rudy cracked down on NYC gun permits and rescinded a good number of them (expect for Trump and other connected Rudy Rooters).

Nobody gives a rats ass about your friends, we care about OUR rights and Rudy has shown that he’s committed to gun (people) control ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.

You’re obviously not well-versed on issues of our Second Amendment rights, so the usual talking points seem to suffice. Not for the rest of us.

No matter how you try to spin it to the less-informed, his record speaks for itself.


18 posted on 04/11/2007 5:56:14 PM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: rbookward
your legal useful object's , were taken from thugs, crazed drugged up thug's,animals. You would not want these animals with a rock. Not people with permits. Ive had mine for 30 yrs. NYer
19 posted on 04/11/2007 5:56:17 PM PDT by reefdiver (The sheriff of Nottingham collected taxes on behalf of the common good)
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To: areafiftyone
They act like Rudy went from house to house taking guns away.

Don't recall ever saying anything to that effect.

Doesn't stop his actions from being Constitutionally unsound. Doesn't stop his constant calls for national gun control from being foolish.

20 posted on 04/11/2007 5:56:43 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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