Death of GOP Gun Bill, Fight Over Assault Weapons Ban Provide Grist

[rodbarnett]

for Fall Election


WASHINGTON (AP) - The demise of Republican gun legislation in the Senate and a stalemate over renewing the assault-style weapons ban thrusts gun control squarely into the fall presidential campaign, both sides in the debate say.

<snip>

The vote gave Democrats and gun control advocates an unexpected victory in the GOP-controlled Congress and all but eliminated any chance for passage this year of gun legislation. The gunmaker liability bill was a priority for President Bush. It would have shielded gunmakers from suits stemming from use of a gun in a crime.

<snip>

Democrats had hoped to use a GOP bill preventing lawsuits against gun manufacturers and distributors as a vehicle for renewing the 10-year-old ban against the manufacture, importation and sale of military style semiautomatic weapons.

However, Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly against their own bill Tuesday after a small number of GOP senators defied their Republican leaders, the White House and the NRA by joining with Democrats in attaching the assault weapons ban and other Democratic amendments to the legislation.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAS734EDRD.html

comment : can we expect more of this, or was this just an anomaly?