Posted on 07/18/2007 2:20:29 AM PDT by neverdem
Leadership of Congress has shifted to the Democrats, but the National Rifle Association’s power to block sensible steps to curb gun violence endures. Last week, a bipartisan majority of the House Appropriations Committee bowed to the N.R.A.’s warped agenda and rebuffed two attempts to repeal a four-year-old measure that denies police and local governments broad access to federal data needed to effectively combat illegal gun trafficking.
The outcome was a defeat for public safety and for the efforts of Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York and more than 30 national and state police organizations to repeal the so-called Tiahrt provision. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other lawmakers who supported its repeal, must now focus on preventing further damage. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved an even more noxious bill that would threaten law enforcement officials with prison time for using gun tracing data beyond a specific investigation, say, for identifying and targeting trafficking patterns.
Notwithstanding this disappointing denouement, progress on another significant gun issue is tantalizingly close. Just a few weeks ago, senior Congressional Democrats reached agreement with the N.R.A. on a measure that would improve screening of prospective gun buyers for disqualifying mental health problems. The measure, a direct response to the massacre at Virginia Tech, was approved by the House last month. It contains new grant money and penalties to encourage states to help improve the national database that gun dealers use, adding more mental health information.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
IMHO, the title should have been "Good and (Maybe) Bad News on Guns.
This is supposed to be the "paper of record." Give me a break.
“....threaten law enforcement officials with prison time for using gun tracing data beyond a specific investigation...”
Excellent idea!
Exactly! Why the Old Gray Whore thinks it’s perfectly OK to infringe on the rights upheld in the 2nd Amendment is beyond me.
No it wasn't. The Gestapo having a list of who owns guns does nothing for public safety. This was not defeat for Public safety, it was a victory towards the upholding our constitutional rights, and dashing yet another attempt by those who want to strip the citizenry of their rights and freedoms.
A true response to the VT massacre would have been to insist on Universities NOT abridging the Constitution.
Well, it looks like the “Good Guys” beat back the communists once more. BRAVO. The article, by the way, was absurd.
I'm afraid they will use this "loophole" to put a NICS flag on everyone who has ever sought counseling or taken a mild antidepressant.
“Last week, a bipartisan majority of the House Appropriations Committee bowed to the N.R.A.’s warped agenda and rebuffed two attempts to repeal a four-year-old measure that denies police and local governments broad access to federal data needed to effectively combat illegal gun trafficking.”
I can tell the writer has a warped agenda.
They reflect an urban mentality. Some guy who owns a gun in 3C is a threat to Mrs. McGillicuddy in 6J. Anyone who owns a gun is a threat to the 300 other people stacked like rats in cages on top of him. Just cleaning his weapon is a threat, because walls and floors are thin, and he's got 85 people living within "range" of his potential, someday, you never know , accidental discharge of his .416 Rigby tropical rifle.
And because urbanites don't think like Americans.
Liberals will use it like the Soviets did, to "diagnose" the "malcontents" and refuseniks.
Like Rush, f'rinstance.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Oh, screw you, NYT. Hurry up and go out of business, you commie punks.
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