No Assault Weapons Blood In Our Streets!

Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Messages
478
“Just as blood did not run in U.S. streets after the expiration of the assault weapons ban, society won’t crater now that lawsuits can’t be filed against gun makers and distributors for the misuse of their products in a crime.”

It's hard to imagine that The New York Times editorial page could misconstrue an issue involving guns, seeing as how the writers of the troubled Gray Lady's editorials are so open-minded about the Second Amendment. (That, dear readers, would be sarcasm.)

An offering last week about legislation before the U.S. House that would protect gun manufacturers from nuisance lawsuits posited: "This extraordinary shield, written to the diktat of the National Rifle Association, is so sweeping that it would have barred the D.C. sniper settlement and other valid negligence claims."

Hmmmmmm. Sounds like an editorial written to the diktat of the Brady Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence, so sweeping are its flabbergasted expressions of outrage.

I confess I didn't bother to read what The Times had to say editorially after the House passed HR 800 last Thursday. A person can take only so much hyperbole in one week.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_388009.html

On any other issue in the world, a 283-144 vote would be considered charmingly, refreshingly bipartisan. For 59 Democrats to join 223 Republicans (and one independent) in putting a lid on lawsuits that were geared toward bankrupting a legal business in this country means there is merit in the argument and in the way that the legislation is written.

But don't expect opponents of the act to see it that way. They will fabricate a scenario about how cowed those Democrats were by the big bad gun lobby. Every last man and woman of them is facing a difficult re-election battle next fall, they will argue, and the lawmakers can't afford to alienate gun rights advocates when it comes to polling time.

Whatever. The fact stands that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was passed by the Senate in July by a 65-31 vote, now goes to President Bush. He has said he will sign it.

Gun grabbers have attempted for decades to avoid the rightful place to discuss the nation's federal gun laws -- Congress -- by filing lawsuits in cases in which some miscreant criminally misuses a gun. The plaintiffs want to hold the gun maker responsible for the criminal act of some scofflaw. That would be like holding General Motors and Exxon Mobil responsible if some looney used a Suburban with a full tank of petrol to run over a bus bench full of people.

Every one of these nuisance lawsuits has been thrown out by judges who recognize the speciousness of the arguments and who understand that laws are supposed to be made in the legislative branch, not the judicial branch, of government.

Truth is, as much as they profess that their legal machinations are all about reducing crime, the anti-gun folks are all about financially crippling the small-arms industry through legal fees.

Now before you sip from the same gallon of Kool-Aid from which the Times' editorial writers drink on a regular basis -- the one mixed up by the Brady Center and a million marching mommies -- do yourself a favor:

Read the act. It clearly states the situations in which civil liability lawsuits can go forward against gun manufacturers, distributors and sellers.

If a gun maker puts out a faulty product that ends up injuring or killing someone when used as intended, the gun maker should be sued. If due diligence isn't followed and a gun dealer sells a firearm to a person who is by law forbidden to possess one, the dealer and the buyer should be arrested. If the gun maker falsifies sales records or conspires with a firearms dealer to do so, they should be arrested and charged, with civil liability lawsuits to follow.

Just as blood did not run in U.S. streets after the expiration of the assault weapons ban, society won't crater now that lawsuits can't be filed against gun makers and distributors for the misuse of their products in a crime.

STUPIDITY SOMETIMES AMAZES ME! :barf: :barf: :barf:

Smile,

iBear
 
I understand these peoples point of view but not their methods.

The argument I have heard put forth is that supposedly the gun industry is selling to these dealers and then these dealers are knowingly allowing straw purchases from criminals.

However I don't see that suing the gun makers is the way to go. I'd say they should do the same thing as when they crack down on underage purchases of alcohol. The BATF should go after individual businesses who are violating the law.

While we are on the subject I find it interesting the way the NRA is bashed. While I don't agree with a lot of their methods, the NRA is not like some rich corporation or even some 527 funded by millionaires. It is a grass roots political organization that is funded by small contributions of lots of individuals.

And while we are talking reducing crime how about a gun control measure we can all agree on! We know a lot of guns used in crimes are stolen right??? Why not write it into law that an individual can write 100% of the cost of any gun safe off on his taxes?? This would reduce the number of guns stolen or taken by psycho relatives of gun owners while not restricting freedom in any way.:thumbup:
 
hollowdweller said:
I understand these peoples point of view but not their methods.

The argument I have heard put forth is that supposedly the gun industry is selling to these dealers and then these dealers are knowingly allowing straw purchases from criminals.

However I don't see that suing the gun makers is the way to go. I'd say they should do the same thing as when they crack down on underage purchases of alcohol. The BATF should go after individual businesses who are violating the law.

While we are on the subject I find it interesting the way the NRA is bashed. While I don't agree with a lot of their methods, the NRA is not like some rich corporation or even some 527 funded by millionaires. It is a grass roots political organization that is funded by small contributions of lots of individuals.

And while we are talking reducing crime how about a gun control measure we can all agree on! We know a lot of guns used in crimes are stolen right??? Why not write it into law that an individual can write 100% of the cost of any gun safe off on his taxes?? This would reduce the number of guns stolen or taken by psycho relatives of gun owners while not restricting freedom in any way.:thumbup:
You make some points that should be considered by all of us.

Good thinking.

iBear
 
CANADIAN PM'S HANDGUN BAN IDEA A 'CHEAP POLITICAL SUBTERFUGE'

BELLEVUE, WA – Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, heading a Liberal Party that has been scandalized by corruption and recently fell after a "no confidence" vote in the House of Commons, is trying to deflect attention from his abysmal failure as a national leader by calling for a ban on handguns, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today.

"This is nothing less than a cheap political subterfuge," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. "I'm not sure if they understand the ‘smell test' north of the border, but Martin's attack on handgun owners sure doesn't pass it. This is a smarmy attempt to shift public focus away from his political troubles, and those of his party.

"A dozen years of Liberal rule in Canada has been nothing short of a disaster," Waldron noted. "The Canadian gun registration scheme has been a billion dollar boondoggle that even Canadian police have criticized. Under Liberal rule, the country has endured not only that debacle, but also the infamous sponsorship scandal. Most of the blame for that fiasco fell on the shoulders of Martin's predecessor, Jean Chretien, but the fact remains, Liberal rule has given Canadians one headache after another.

"Martin's proposed handgun ban is not only just another stupid attack on law-abiding Canadian gun owners," Waldron stated, "it is clearly designed to deflect public and media attention away from his scandal-plagued government and the political trouncing Liberals took last month. We're disappointed, but hardly surprised, that the Toronto Star editorial writers were completely sucked in by this tawdry political maneuver.

"As is typical of liberal politicians here in the United States," Waldron observed, "Martin has discovered that when your bankrupt philosophy is under attack, and your party is politically shipwrecked, there is only one thing to do: Attack gun owners. They're the only people against whom it is still fashionable to practice social bigotry. :p :p :p

In Martin's case, it's like the cattle rustler stirring up a lynch mob to hang the town outcast while he uses the distraction to make good his own escape. How pitiful is that?"

iBear
 
Gun ownership is rising and there is no definitive evidence that a decade of restrictive firearms laws has done anything to reduce weapon-related crime, according to NSW's top criminal statistician.

The latest figures show a renaissance in firearm ownership in the state - a 25 per cent increase in three years. And the head of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Don Weatherburn, said falls in armed robberies and abductions in NSW in the past few years had more to do with the heroin drought and good policing than firearms legislation.

Even falls in the homicide rate, which have been steady, began long before the gun law debate provoked by the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

Nationwide, the proportion of robberies involving weapons is the same as it was in 1996, while the proportion of abductions involving weapons is higher, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics fiures reveal. They show a mixed result in firearms-related offences since the mid-1990s. There has been a fall in firearms murders (from 32 to 13 per cent) but a rise (19 to 23 per cent) in attempted murders involving guns.

Interesting information,

iBear
 
BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) applauded the Wisconsin Assembly this morning for its progressive 64-32 vote, approving state concealed carry legislation.

The vote, which came just after 3 a.m. following a marathon all-night session, sets the stage for yet another showdown with anti-gun Gov. Jim Doyle, who has already promised to veto this legislation. Supporters of the measure are concerned that Doyle, in an effort to prevent his veto from being overridden, may offer political favors to key Democrats to flip-flop on this important bill.

"Following the State Senate's lead, the Assembly did the right thing in passing this bill," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. "And we're going to be watching Jim Doyle to see just what kind of political pressure he exerts, or enticements he offers Democrats to switch their votes.

"While we are not entirely satisfied with a key compromise that brought Democrat Rep. Mary Hubler's vote in favor of the bill, gun owners should also not be afraid of it, because it is important that concealed carry legislation become a reality," Waldron said.

Hubler's amendment requires refresher training every five years for permit holders, and reduces the legal blood alcohol content for permit holders to .02. It also creates a no-carry zone within 100 feet of any school grounds while outside a vehicle, and restores penalties for falsifying documents.

"We know from past experience in other states that after Wisconsin's statute has been in place for a while, there will be an opportunity to amend the law," Waldron noted, "after all the hysterical predictions about increased violence and bloodshed are proven to be false, as they invariably are.

"But this is a good starting point," he continued, "from which Wisconsin's gun owners will demonstrate how responsible legally armed citizens can be. It is now up to the Democrats to not give in to pressure or enticements from the governor's office, and stand behind their votes if, and when, it is time to override a Doyle veto.

"The safety and civil rights of Wisconsin citizens should not be held hostage by the social prejudices of the governor and his anti-self-defense allies," Waldron concluded.
 
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