Obama criticized for AWB “We need to get assault weapons – and ammo – off the streets”

[jody]

We need to get assault weapons – and ammo – off the streets

One can only hope Congress and the Obama administration find some guts and reinstate the assault weapons ban. And when they do that, they should go further and regulate some of the ammunition that makes assault weapons so deadly, and so hated by police departments in South Florida.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Not only are too many assault-style weapons on the street, but so are the types of ammo that can do nothing but create havoc out there. You can readily access ammo for AR-15s, AK-47s, you name it.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

So, it's understood this is a complex matter. Nonetheless, this Congress and President Obama haven't shown much willingness to take on the gun lobby. They have given the OK for weapons in national parks, and haven't shown any inclination to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.

But how much more carnage does there have to be, how many more police officers and innocent citizens have to be victimized, before action is taken to get these dangerous weapons and the deadly ammunition off the streets?

Articles like that and the DU threads below in the General Discussion: Presidential forum will not let Obama ignore his continued support for renewing the Assault Weapons Ban.

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Heading to a National Park; Now you can pack heat...Surreal & scary

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[SpartanDem]

1. Not gonna happen

nobody wants a repeat of 1994

[jody]

2. Obama can take RKBA off the table by saying "I will veto any bill that comes to me that infringes

upon the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms for self-defense including banning assault weapons".

[quiller4]

3. Thank God. n/t

[AllentownJake]

4. This is not something we need to be worrying about right now

Honestly do we really need to repeat this exercise in stupidity again?

Lets fix the economy. Not give the GOP an issue to win on in 2010 and 2012.

[depakid]

5. It'll happen when the American people are sick and tired- and have finally had enough

Not before.

As I've mentioned in the past, what that'll take is more law enforcement officers and probably a public offical or two going down. That along with another slew of mass shootings.

What gun folks in their bubbles don't seem to understand is that a whole lot of people don't care much about their "right" to purchase and own whatever sort of military style style weapon that they think they need "to protect themselves." But with enough of the right type of incidents, that ambivalence will fade rather quickly.

And when it does, the vast majority won't be rallying around AK-47's.

[Enthusiast]

6. This position will cost the Democratic Party

And tell me, how will losing seats in congress help? Fully automatic weapons are already illegal. Semi-automatic shotguns and rifles have the same rate of fire as a deer rifle and shotgun. You can't reasonably make a law that outlaws legitimate hunting rifles and shotguns, it is political suicide. Restricting 'assault weapons' will not save a single life but it will cost the Democratic Party votes. Besides, there are already millions of these guns out there. Would you break down every door to find them?

[depakid]

7. Utter hogwash

Read the post. When the time comes, responsible gun legislation will be something a large majority will be pressing for and support.

The trend toward more and more gun proliferation isn't going to lead to ANYTHING positive at all- and sooner or later, that's going to become an inescapable conclusion in America (indeed to many rational folks who've looked at the issues from both here and abroad, it already has).

[benEzra]

8. The OP is talking about banning the #1, #2, and #3 rifle calibers in America,

and the most popular rifles in America, even though only 3% of U.S. murders involve rifles. Yeah, that makes sense.

[X_Digger]

10. fyi..'military style'

The hunting guns of today were the 'military style' of yesteryear. A generation of hunting guns were designed around the lever action winchesters used by and designed for the cavalry, then another generation of hunting guns was designed based on the springfield 03, another generation based on the garand and m1 carbine, and the latest (Remington R-25) are based on the AR-15 line. The progression of military arms into civilian hunting rifles is as old as the rifle. The same things that make a rifle better for the military make them better for hunting.

The 'ooh, military' boogeyman only works as long as people are ignorant of this fact.

[jody]

11. Ignorance is endemic on DU and as impossible to eradicate as kudzu.

[Enthusiast]

14. I thought my post was reasonable

yet I got an "utter hogwash".

My point was this. We will not accomplish a safe society free of gun deaths by enacting AWB. It won't change anything and in my post I explain why. People that do not hunt have no understanding of this issue. They also don't know how this plays with the rural voters Democrats desperately need.

[jody]

15. Perhaps you meant to reply to another post. I agree with your point in #6 and #7 is pure BS. n/t

[Enthusiast]

16. Yes, I understood your meaning.

I was only off on a rant. :fistbump:

[X_Digger]

9. What a terrible article (in technical details)

"Officer Kempinski is recovering, but the incident begs the question: Who needs ammunition that can pierce the protective armor of a police officer? Do you need this kind of ammunition for hunting?"

The fact is, on the spectrum of calibers (the size of the bullet and the amount of force behind it) AR-15s and AK clones fire a relatively underpowered round. The AR-15 is illegal to hunt deer with in some states because it's not considered powerful enough for a humane kill.

Every traditional hunting rifle that is used to kill deer (larger than .223- AR-15) will also penetrate your average cop's protective vest. Why? Because non-swat vests are designed to stop handgun rounds, not rifles.

So the answer to the above question is that yes, you do need ammunition powerful enough to pierce the protective vest of a police officer to hunt.

[depakid]

17. Most Americans when they get to that point aren't going to care much about the details of the fetish

and all of the rationalizations for it.

They'll want something to be done- and won't be inclined to listen much to apologists.

[X_Digger]

18. If you take the premise in the article as a basis for legality..

.. you'd have to outlaw hunting rifles with anything larger than a 22 caliber.

But hey, don't let facts get in the way of your emotional flailing.

[depakid]

19. Not my emotional flailing- just the way things happen with policymaking in America

Lift the situation I described out of the gun context and put in another policy area. Hpw does policy typically get enacted when people are fed up?

Is it wholly rational? Or is it more reactionary?

Indeed, turn the situation around and imagine how some think about reactionary policymaking that' poliferating guns in colleges, etc.

Not exactly rational stuff.

[X_Digger]

20. Knee jerk legislation like the patriot act? How's that working out.. n/t

[grantcart]

12. I would like us take a UK type solution where gun owners keep their

guns at gun clubs, and even policeman don't carry weapons.


That is never going to happen here.

You would be hard pressed to get a majority of DUers to support legislation let alone the average Joe.

America has a full blown gun fetish and to try and confront that you are simply wasting political capital that could be used elsewhere, and you still are not going to get anything passed. The reality is that for too many people it is the single issue that they really care about.


We should also admit that the NRA has atleast one good point; There are a lot of gun laws already on the books that are not enforeced. Before we go back to any new laws we should effectively enforce the ones that are already on the books.

[jody]

13. Agree! IMO Obama should have DOJ et al attack the cause of disparate homicide rates that are seven

times greater between ethnic groups.

Is it possible that some groups have homicide rates that are not much greater than the UK reports?