Posted on 01/05/2013 10:00:43 AM PST by pabianice
President Obama announces he is appointing Vice President Joe Biden to craft new policies within the next month to curb gun violence.President Obama announces he is appointing Vice President Joe Biden to craft new policies within the next month to curb gun violence. 0
The White House and gun control supporters are gearing up for a whirlwind month, with plans to pass reform legislation before outrage over the Sandy Hook massacre has a chance to fade.
While the fiscal cliff has dominated Washington’s attention in recent weeks, lawmakers and activists are laying the groundwork for their big push. Vice President Joe Biden, tasked with heading a commission to investigate gun violence, has been quietly meeting with experts, interest groups, and public officials and is expected to release a set of recommendations within weeks. Boston mayor Thomas Menino, co-chair of Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told the Boston Herald this week that an optimistic Biden had assured him that Obama would sign legislation “by the end of January.”
“We had been led to believe their report would come by end of January, but we’re hearing they may want to have something out by January 15, even quicker than expected,” Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told TPM.
House Democrats are moving ahead with their own plans as well. On Friday, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), chair of the newly created Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, announced the appointment of 12 vice chairs, including Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the body’s leading voice on gun control. According to a Democratic aide, the group plans to release its recommendations in early February and is already organizing public hearings on the issue.
Obama has personally identified an assault weapons ban and limits on ammunition magazine size as top priorities. Other possible reforms could include background check requirements for purchases at gun shows, a loophole that’s helped create a huge market of off-record arms purchases.
Pro-gun groups have dominated Congress in recent years and, while lawmakers approved by the National Rifle Association have mostly kept their heads down in recent weeks, any legislation could face an difficult path to passage, or even a vote, especially in the Republican-led House.
Glaze said his group would work hard to build public support, hosting local events with various mayors, dozens of whom will descend on Washington later this month for The United States Conference of Mayors winter gathering.
Gun violence survivors are also planning trips to lobby lawmakers to support legislation. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a mass shooting in 2011, could play a prominent role in that regard: on Wednesday she met with Bloomberg in New York and on Friday traveled to Newtown to comfort families who lost loved ones in the attack there.
But Glaze acknowledged the NRA has long held an advantage not only in its cash resources, but in its large and active grassroots membership, which has rallied in the past to whip members of Congress against gun control bills. For gun control advocates, they’ll have to offer a compelling case that lawmakers who squelch reforms will pay a price in the midterm elections and that means building their own active network of supporters. Glaze is confident they can do so, citing recent polls showing restrictions on extended ammunition clips and an expansion of background checks to be popular nationally.
“The broad solutions are there and if Congress doesn’t act I think theyre going to be digging themselves further into a big hole,” he said.
The Brady Campaign, the gun control group founded by former Ronald Reagan press secretary Jim Brady, is also expected to play a role in promoting legislation, but it’s an open question whether they can compete with the NRA’s experienced leadership. TPM reached out to the group’s staff in recent days for information on its plans, but received no response.
Nice list of names there.
Wonder what would happen if they all got “doxed” like the gun owners in New York?
I don’t see any way for President Obama to pass further gun control. Unless there’s some way for him to issue a EO declaring that semi-automatics fall under the NFA, I don’t see any gun control legislation getting through Congress. I’m sure he’d love to do an EO, but he’s always had the barest amount of wiggle room on these EOs in the past. Is there anything in the NFA that gives the executive branch any leeway on what can be regulated, or does the NFA specifically state it’s restricted to fully automatic weapons? I’m not really familiar with automatic weapon legislation.
In the America of today, the narco terrorist and criminal pyschopaths are actually running the US government.
Technically, you’re correct.
However, pragmatically speaking, we have learned SCOTUS can no longer be trusted to follow and uphold the Constitution.
The WhiteyHut ain’t seen a real crisis until nobama tries some EO against 2nd Amendment!
Yesterday I heard a couple of interesting comments, on WLS radio and a local news-in-review show. One of the WLS reporters mentioned that he had spoken with Chicago Police chief McCarthy—no fan of the second amendment—about the failing efforts in Springfield to pass gun control in Illinois, and McCarthy admitted that the momentum is fading. Likewise the reporters on the TV show barely made mention of gun control...they too commented on “fading interest” and strong opposition from downstate. They spent more time on the gay marriage bill and the still-desperately-being-deferred state financial mess.
And I’ll admit that most of my FB friends lean liberal (consequence of coming from a rabidly liberal area)...and even in the wake of Aurora, the mall shooting and Newtown I’ve heard little to nothing said about gun control. I’m still amazed at that.
Even an Oregon Democrat, Kurt Schrader, said on the Lars Larson show that he doesn’t see much passing on this.
Just substitute the word “ownership” for “violence” and you’ll know what they’re up to.
You're so correct and it's beyond sad that we're at this point. In the next 4yrs, SCOTUS is going to get a lot more liberal w/ new ∅bummer appointees.
The War on Drugs started 40 years ago.
The government has done a great job on that one.
bereanway: “The media is doing all they can to create an air of inevitability.”
That deserves to be repeated. They’re attempting the same trick with homosexual marriage. If they can make folks think it’s inevitable, resistance evaporates. I know we’re onto them, and hope more Americans catch on. The media doesn’t just report the news. It distorts the news to present a carefully crafted image. They’re propagandists aiming to remake America.
That liberal newspaper in NY is doing an excellent job of galvanizing for us by illustrating the danger of weapon registration.
OUTSTANDING IDEA !!!!
No you will not you communist MF’ers... but you will lose about 30% of your dim base trying. Go ahead and over reach. It cost you in 2010 and it will cost you again in 2013... for 2014. FU biden... you have never accomplished anything beyond being stupid enough to play second commie to obamacommie.
LLS
Who the hell cares? You may not call an AR-15 an "assault weapon" but the people who want to take them away sure as hell do! Whining about "show and talking points" isn't going to be worth squat when these things wind up on a banned list. An AR-15 isn't an assault weapon? Whatever. Tell it to the judge, if Feinstein gets her way, as he's handing you 10 years in the joint for possessing one.
If you want to evaluate the "effectiveness" of a weapon you would not choose an AR for the weapon of choice.
If you want to kill as many people as possible and you have two pistols, a shotgun and an AR-15 with several loaded magazines, which weapon are you going to use? Newsflash: The .223 round has killed more people than atomic bombs. It's plenty effective. A million dead Vietnamese would tell you if they could.
LLS
Gun Organizations Unite to Stop Gun Ban http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/04/gun-organizations-unite-to-stop-gun-ban/ ================================================================== A collaborative effort of 27 pro-gun state and national organizations has formed to fight against any federal gun bans. =============================================================== The group is referring to themselves as the “National Coalition to Stop the Gun Ban” and has announced the formation of the coalition January 3, 1013. Participating organizations are comprised of both national organization and state organizations. National organizations: The Firearms Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Rights Watch International, Second Amendment Sisters, USRKBA.org ================================================================ State organizations: Arizona Citizens Defense League, Arkansas Carry, Florida Carry, Inc., Grass Roots North Carolina, Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, Gun Owners of California, Gun Owners of Maine, Gun Owners of Vermont, Michigan Gun Owners, The Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, Montana Shooting Sports Association, New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, New Jersey 2nd Amendment Society, Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, Oregon Firearms Federation, Peaceable Texans for Firearms Rights, Shooters Committee on Political Education N.Y., Utah Shooting Sports Council, Virginia Citizens Defense League, West Virginia Citizens Defense League, Western Missouri Shooters Alliance, and Wisconsin Carry, Inc. =============================================================== The members of the coalition have drafted a letter to Members of Congress that includes sections addressing “The truth about modern rifles,” “Semi-auto ban: No impact on violence,” “’Gun Free School Zones Act’ increased killings,” and the position statement of the coalition with the signatories of the founding members.
Mark Levin bought 3 guns in the past year. Prior to that, he owned zero.
My apologies to everyone on my ham-fisted attempt at formatting that post..
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