Posted on 03/22/2018 3:40:32 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
Sen. Doug Jones (D.), Alabama's new addition to the halls of Congress, used his maiden speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate to call for unity in the gun control debate, even while he attacked the National Rifle Association's "extreme positions" and called for sweeping gun control measures.
Jones, who won a special election in December to fill the seat vacated when Jeff Sessions accepted his post as attorney general, began the speech on Wednesday by denouncing the partisan atmosphere of Washington, D.C. Jones, having denounced how partisanship and gridlock have replaced compromise and consensus, then segued into addressing a topic that has dominated Congress since the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Citing the dialogue being forged by the survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the senator said he was compelled to devote his first address in the Senate Chamber to the topic of gun violence.
"In the wake of yet another mass shooting, and the rising voices of young people across the country, it is our responsibility, our duty to have a serious discussion about guns and gun safety," Jones said.
Jones expressed that any solution being proposed would need to balance the interests of both public safety and the constitutional rights accorded by the Second Amendment.
"We must acknowledge the deadly consequences that can follow when a gun is in the wrong hands but also recognize and respect the freedom to own and enjoy guns by law-abiding citizens as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution," Jones said. "Those two concepts … are not mutually exclusive."
The senator then proceeded to reverse course by implying that the discussion surrounding the Second Amendment only served to divide the country while "more lives" perished.
"We can spend days in this chamber debating the meaning of the Second Amendment," Jones said. "We can let our nation further divide itself while more lives are lost … or we can take another path."
Jones expressed his support for Trump administration initiatives to ban the sale of bump stocks. He also urged Congress to pass bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (Texas), to incentive local and state government to streamline information sharing process in hopes of strengthening the background check process. The senator also called on Congress to pass legislation instituting universal background checks for gun sales.
"We have to require background checks on all gun sales," Jones said, "Whether it is at a gun show or over the internet or between individuals."
The senator warned his supporters and gun control advocates to refrain from demonizing Second Amendment groups, like the NRA, before proceeding to chastise those very groups for holding views he considered "extreme."
"You can't simply demonize the NRA and pro-gun groups," Jones said. "I know these groups sometimes take what many, including me, consider extreme positions."
Jones also implored Second Amendment groups to "stop using" what he saw as "scare tactics" that only served to convince law-abiding citizens the federal government intends to confiscate their guns.
"To those who would seek to maintain the status quo, like the NRA, or anyone else," Jones said. "Please stop using scare tactics to try and convince law-abiding gun owners that the federal government is hell-bent on taking their guns away."
Jones further proceeded to denounce the solutions being offered by the very "law-abiding gun owners" he wants to protect from the NRA.
"We also need to get past the idea that more guns in society will make us all safer," he said. "We don't need guns in the hands of school teachers. Simply having more good guys with guns is not the solution."
The senator even suggested that such solutions would only serve to push the nation backward.
"Americans just simply do not want to return to the days of the wild west," Jones said.
Jones, somewhat ironically, finished his speech by proclaiming there would always be forces seeking to sow the seeds of disunity between Americans.
"There will always be forces that seek to sow division and discord. Our challenge and our mission is to prevent them from succeeding," he said. "We can seize this moment by changing the conversation and our country."
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Certainly not if the GOP comes up with yet another lame opponent.”
Well, there is that.
Those are homogeneous cities, and don't have a "melting pot" to worry about. Not saying you're wrong, mind you. But here in NYC, we have all sorts of people here.
Is his term short and up at the end of this year?
It is also a foolproof long-term strategy to advance the plan of reducing the USA to a plantation-style government.
Sad how the republicans can't get anything done, but the democrats go scorched Earth style every time they're the majority. All that money must be nice to our selected betters.
Add me, please, Thank you. bodega
Gone in 2020.
Additionally, anytime same schmuck says your "right to hunt" won't be infringed upon if they could just get rid of those pesky "assault weapons" you also have an olympic class asshole on your hands ......
Yeah,he knows what WON’T work,but has no idea what WILL work,but expounds on it anyway. Same old BS,different politician.
Well, nice thing about this twit is, he’ll be gone in 2020.
Even though I am from Alabama, I bear NO responsibility for this man. I did what I always do: held my nose and voted for the Republican.
My motto is: A bad Republican is better than a good Democrat. I cannot say here my feelings on “good” Democrats.
If it were not for the Republican party deliberately attacking Moore, and deliberately stabbing him in the back, it never would have happened.
What caused our loss was Republicans deliberately stabbing Moore in the back, especially Richard Shelby and Jeff Flake.
There was nothing wrong with Moore. Strange was the one with the corruption allegations hanging over him and of which most of the people in Alabama were aware, though most outside the state weren't.
It appears the folks in Alabama would beg to differ.
Jeff Flake should be punched repeatedly in the mouth until his teeth are knocked out. That man badly needs to have a monumental @$$ whipping.
No, that is just you and others like you *PROJECTING* your opinion on them. Moore was leading by a very large margin until those kook bitches came out and made unprovable accusations against him.
The problem is kook bitches making unprovable accusations, which the larger National party immediately scooped up and helped to spread.
The combination of the lying accusations, the media assault, and the deliberate backstabbing of Moore by Republican party officials is what created the illusion that Moore was a "bad candidate."
They did the same thing to Chris McDaniel in Mississippi, except they called him a "Racist that wants to keep black people from voting."
When Washington DC doesn't want a reformer, they do everything they can to stab them in the back. They did it to McDaniel, they did it to Sharon Angle, and they've done it to several other candidates as well.
I cannot stand him either.
Well, GEE.... THAT didn’t take long, did it?
A democrat being a typical asshat democrat after getting elected.
Whodathunkit...
Roy Moore is a clown show. I’ve lived in this state for long enough to know that. Many conservatives didn’t turn out to vote for him. I knew they wouldn’t. I was nauseated when I knew he was the republican choice.
If he ever runs for another office, we’d better not hope he wins the nomination or we’ll have another democrat in office.
Trump got more votes in Moore’s home county. They know him and didn’t turn out for him.
Well sure. How many votes from conservatives do you think any man would get if the whole F***ing party establishment treated him like he was guilty of rape and child molestation?
Before these two kooks came out with their lying accusations, he was on track to win by a huge margin, and in fact, he got over 1 million votes in the 2012 election, so how did this supposedly bad candidate that nauseates you get over 1 million votes in 2012?
You lack objectivity. You are projecting your own opinions on to others, and ignoring the factors that caused his vote totals to drop by 400,000.
Without the kook accusations, he would have won massively. With the kook accusations but without the deliberate stab in the back by the party, he would have edged out a very close victory.
You and others just lack the objectivity it would require to admit this simple truth because you didn't like him anyways, and are probably thrilled that he lost.
Trump got more votes in Moore’s home county. They know him and didn’t turn out for him.
Oh bullsh*t. Lying accusations of rape and child molestation amplified by deliberate intent by all media outlets and with the assistance of Republican party officials, cost him 400,000 votes.
The Washington Uniparty collaborated to burn him, because the last thing they want in Washington DC is a religious man with conviction who wouldn't be bribed and who would make their spending party more difficult to continue.
The ginned up this whole batch of nastiness because they would rather have a Democrat than a reform conservative. They did the same D@Mn thing to McDaniel and Sharon Angle, as well as a few others.
Wake up and smell the corruption and influence.
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