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March 19, 2009
Gun Advocates Ready for Battle on Federal Assault Weapons Ban
Gun Advocates Ready for Battle on Federal Assault Weapons Ban
Get ready for a gunfight.
Attorney General Eric Holder is using the drug violence in Mexico to "confuse and mislead" Americans in an attempt to reinstate the expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban, gun advocates claim.
Holder revealed his intention to reinstate the ban last month while announcing more than 700 arrests in connection with a crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating in the United States.
"As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to re-institute the ban on the sale of assault weapons," Holder said. "I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum."
Holder said reinstating the ban would decrease the flow of guns from the U.S. into Mexico. He declined to offer a timeframe for any re-implementation; Justice Department spokesman Matt Miller also declined comment on Tuesday.
But Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, told FOXNews.com that Holder's "argument in general is bizarre."
"It's a delusion to say that diminishing the Second Amendment in America is somehow going to stop these ruthless drug cartels in Mexico."
LaPierre called on Holder and Justice Department officials to uphold existing laws and focus on increasing enforcement along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, rather than consider additional legislation.
"The answer is to enforce the law on both sides of the border," LaPierre said. "I reject the notion that the reenactment of that ban would have any impact on the Mexican drug cartels."
LaPierre, referring to the drug-related violence that killed more than 6,200 people in Mexico last year, accused Holder of trying to "put a failed political agenda on the back of a national tragedy."
Signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban prohibited the sale of ammunition clips with more than 10 rounds and 19 types of semi-automatic military-style guns, including AK-47s and AR-15s. The ban expired in 2004, and a 10-year extension proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was voted down.
Michael Hammond, spokesman for the Gun Owners of America, said he was not surprised by Holder's comments.
"We expected the Obama administration, contrary to promises made during the campaign, to do everything it can to go after us," Hammond said. "It's no surprise to us that [Holder] is using a crisis as an argument to achieving his policy goals."
During a House subcommittee hearing last week, Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, warned against making U.S. gun owners "scapegoats" for the Mexican crisis.
"The message here is clear: According to some, the violence in Mexico is not the fault of the drug cartels or their American customers, nor is it the fault of decades of Mexican government corruption," Cox said in prepared remarks.
"In their view, the fault lies with American gun owners. This is an outrageous assertion."
Authorities should ramp up border security and continue targeting so-called straw buyers who do the cartels' "dirty work," Cox said.
But Tom Diaz, senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center, testified at the subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on Thursday that the U.S. civilian gun market is fueling violence in Mexico and on both sides of its border.
"If one set out to design a 'legal' market conducive to the business of funneling guns to criminals, one would be hard-pressed to come up with a 'better' system that the U.S. civilian gun market -- short of simply selling guns directly to criminals from manufacturer and importer inventories," Diaz said in prepared remarks.
"The U.S. gun market not only makes gun trafficking in military-style weapons easy, it practically compels that traffic because of the gun market's loose regulations and the gun industry's ruthless design choices over the last several decades."
Citing February 2008 congressional testimony of William Hoover, assistant director of field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)...
Diaz said military-style weapons like the Barrett .50-caliber rifle, the Colt AR-15 .223-caliber assault rifle and the AK-47 are "precisely the makes and models of firearms that have been carefully designed, manufactured or imported and heavily marketed over the last 20 years by the U.S. civilian gun industry."
More than 7,770 guns sold in the U.S. were traced to Mexico last year, up from 3,300 in 2007 and roughly 2,100 in 2006, according to ATF statistics. It was not immediately clear what percentage of those guns fell under the United States' federal assault weapons ban.
Diaz also cited ATF tracing data that shows Mexican drug cartels receive between 90 and 95 percent of their firearms from the United States.
Along with measures such as targeting Texas, Arizona and California -- the three primary states where firearms are illegally smuggled into Mexico -- Diaz called for the implementation of an "effective" federal assault weapons ban modeled on a bill introduced in 2007 by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y.
Diaz said manufacturers continued to sell assault weapons throughout the ban by making minor design changes. He also called for the passage of a bill introduced by Feinstein during the last session of Congress that would regulate .50-caliber sniper rifles under the National Firearms Act.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers like Alaska Sen. Mark Begich and Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester have already informed Holder that they'll vigorously oppose any new gun restrictions the Obama administration may be considering.
In a letter to Holder shortly after his comments, all three senators urged the Justice Department to focus on enforcing existing laws.
And Arizona state Sen. Jonathan Paton, who testified at last week's hearing, said additional gun laws are just not the answer.
"It would actually hurt the problem rather than help it," Paton, a Republican, said of re-instituting the federal assault weapons ban. "They're not giving us the resources on the laws that we already have on the books. What makes me think they're going to give us the resources for new laws?"
Paton cited Mexico's far stricter gun laws as proof that new domestic laws in the United States won't deter criminals intent on trafficking arms.
"It's not going to solve the problem you have with M-16s and AK-47s; they're already banned and they're already going into Mexico at a feverish pace," Paton told FOXNews.com. "The day they start taking their border security as serious as we do, Mexico will cut down tremendously on its amount of guns."
Important Message From NRA Chief Lobbyist Chris W. Cox on Attorney General Holder's Recent Remarks Supporting Reinstatement of the Failed 1994 Gun and Magazine Ban
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Today in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, 65 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congressman Mike Ross (D-AR), expressed their opposition to the reinstatement of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines. These congressmen cited numerous studies that proved the 1994 ban was ineffective, and they strongly urged Attorney General Holder to stop his effort and instead focus on the enforcement of existing gun laws.
NRA would like to thank Congressman Ross for his leadership on this effort. We will continue to work with Members of Congress from both parties on this important issue.
This is a 6 page pdf mostly with signatures and names.
Beck & Wayne LaPierre ( NRA ) discuss gun control and the 2nd Amendment on March 18, 2009
Wild Thing's comment........
“there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make...”
What a load of baloney.
They want to infringe on the rights of Americans to lower crime in Mexico???? Good grief! I think its another created crisis to use as an excuse to institute their commie plans. But then an oath and the Constitution mean nothing to these people.
Eric Holder wants to take away the very weapons that we need to defend ourselves from the murderous criminals who are invading our nation. The feds refuse to deploy forces to the border to control it, they refuse to build the fence to keep bad people out, and they want us to give up our ability to defend ourselves from said invaders. I guess this is “change we can believe in”. Eric Holder can go suck a lemon.
How is disarming Texans going to protect them agains Mexican armed to the teeth coming across our undefended border!
......Thank you Lynn for sending this to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at March 19, 2009 07:47 AM
Comments
If they can trace the guns sold in the US to Mexico, then they can trace who purchased the guns. Rather than go after law abiding gun owners, they need to go after these people who are selling the guns to the cartels.
Also, with their virtually unlimited resources and money, why would the cartels concern themselves with the "few" guns they can get from America? They have the means to get fully auto AK-47's from China by the boatload. What they get from the States is only semi-auto.
If Bush would have done his job and secured the borders, there wouldn't be easy access for the cartels and their drugs.
Posted by: BobF at March 19, 2009 09:10 AM
The drug cartels get their full auto assault rifles, grenades and rocket launchers from the international market. The cartels have the cash to buy as much of the best as they need.
American gun owners and gun businesses are not supplying the Mexican market. If the border was successfully sealed on both sides it would have little effect on drug cartels getting guns. Some of those weapons probably come from corrupt Mexican police and military. Most come from international weapons dealers who pay off corrupt Mexican officials.
If the Mexicans and our politicians want to blame guns from America, then they should seal the damn border from both sides.
Posted by: TomR at March 19, 2009 11:19 AM
Since when do American Gun makers sell fully Automatic weapons to civilians ? The congress will lie to get there agenda passed and nothing will stand in their way, except us.
Posted by: Mark at March 19, 2009 12:02 PM
Well I'm glad to read that other dems are standing up to that SOB holder. One other thing Since when WOULD a Texas Gun Shop Owner Sell Weapons to ILLEGALS?!?!?!? I tell you what, holder can go suck something else preferably a razor and concertina wire laced artificial phallic appendage.
Oh, and if someone cites the atf I immediately regard them as "full of shit" (i.e. all of the gun control freaks) and y'all should too. IMHO of all the federal "law enforcement" agencies out there they're the worst.
"Alchohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenient store not a law enforcement agency"
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at March 19, 2009 01:00 PM
Hey, if numbnuts Holder and Obama are so fired up about gun control, they should both disarm the secret service as a show of faith in their convictions. The BATF is our form of KGB or Gestapo, Janet Reno exemplifies the abuses possible and the goon squad BATF mentality at the top.
Posted by: Jack at March 19, 2009 04:13 PM
Both Holder and his half white homey need their fucking necks stretched. These are 2 of the biggest traitors in our country.
Posted by: cuchieddie (VN66/68) at March 19, 2009 04:26 PM
George Washington Proclaimed:
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
Posted by: Mark at March 19, 2009 05:28 PM
BobF., exactly you are so right. This not securing our borders is causing total grief and misery and American citizens are the ones that end up paying for it. In innocent lives lost and now this about the guns.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 19, 2009 07:37 PM
Tom, huge AMEN to what you said.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 19, 2009 07:42 PM
Mark, very true. Our hope right now is that list of 65 dems against this, maybe Obama and Holder will be stopped by their own (the democrats). I won't count on anything though.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 19, 2009 07:47 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, I agree, I was really surprised to see so many dems signing the letter, I would expect several but to get that many is a good sign that they might hold off Obama and Holder and what they plan to do. I sure hope so, I know he will not listen to the Republicans.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 19, 2009 07:52 PM
Jack, LOL Yessss let them see how safe they feel in doing that. good one.
"disarm the secret service as a show of faith in their convictions"
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 19, 2009 07:54 PM
