Her Sounds Are Sooo Sweet

There's more in the N.Y. Times today.

Despite widespread popular support, the federal law banning the sale of 19 kinds of semiautomatic assault weapons is almost certain to expire on Monday, the result of intense lobbying by the National Rifle Association and the complicated election-year politics of Washington.

Hmm, I actually thought the NRA didn't engage in too much lobbying on this issue. Certainly nothing I would consider intense. This line must be to appease the comrades who still haven't learned that Al Gore is wrong on almost every issue he touches.

As for election year politics, isn't it great when the gun grabbers design something to take advantage of presidential election year politics and it so gloriously backfires in their face??

Still, some people have their heads in the clouds. Maybe he was inhaling what Bill was blowing out.

Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, who was a lead sponsor of the ban 10 years ago when he was in the House, blamed "a dysfunction of our politics'' for what he called "this Alice in Wonderland situation of repealing a law that everyone agrees has been overwhelmingly successful.''

Still, for the first time, the N.Y. Times admits that ban was meaningless, sort of.

The act prohibits, by name, the sale of 19 specific weapons that have the features of guns used by the military, and also outlaws magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. While backers acknowledge that the law is riddled with loopholes, they cite federal statistics showing crimes traceable to assault weapons have declined by two-thirds since the law went into effect.

But the N.R.A., which has made overturning the ban its top legislative priority, says the law bans only "cosmetic accessories" on guns, and does little other than place a burden on gun manufacturers. "We felt from the very start it was bogus legislation," Wayne LaPierre, the association's chief executive, said.

These simply aren't loopholes. A loophole is a way of avoiding compliance with a difficult legal requirement. There is nothing in the law that is difficult to deal with. You simply sell 10 round mags. Or take off the bayonet mounts. Thats what the law requires.

Tom Mauser, whose 15-year-old son, Daniel, was killed in the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, arrived wearing his son's sneakers and took them off while addressing reporters, a pointed physical reminder of his loss.

James S. Brady, the former White House press secretary who suffered brain damage after being shot in the head by a handgun during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, sat, mostly silent, in a wheelchair.

My heart goes out to Mr. Mauser, but the Assault Weapons Ban was not effective in stopping the massacre. Perhaps he should be lobbying for armed teachers instead? From what I understand, Mr. Brady was shot with a revolver. Does the Brady Campaign now want to ban revolvers??? Oh yeah, thats right, they always have.

Still, I feel bad for him. His wife has used him and taken advantage of his disability for her own self advacement. Bitch!

This is good news

The Democratic presidential nominee, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, supports renewing the ban, and took a break from campaigning earlier this year to return to the Senate when it came up for a vote as part of a broader piece of gun legislation. Fifty-two senators voted in favor of renewing the ban, but the underlying measure was defeated.

On Wednesday, a senior adviser to Mr. Kerry, Joe Lockhart, signaled that the ban would become a campaign issue. He said that Mr. Kerry planned to discuss the ban Monday, at an event timed to coincide with its expiration. Mr. Kerry, he said, "believes the cynical deal between the president and the House Republican leadership, hiding behind procedure, is completely unacceptable.''

All I can say is Bring It On, John!