Senator Diane Feinstein introduced her long-awaited “assault weapons” ban bill today, which she said would outlaw features like bumpfire stocks, bullet buttons, detachable magazines and any gun with at least one (in her words) “military characteristic.” Claiming that hunting and sporting shooters would be protected, she said that her bill lists 2,200 approved guns by name and model. But DiFi didn’t hog the spotlight. She then introduced everyone’s favorite civilian disarmament advocate, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy who pledged, “with all my heart and soul” to take a “holistic approach” to reducing Americans’ Second Amendment rights. While pledging to save “thousands and thousands of lives” she didn’t address how many would be lost by making armed self defense more difficult and impinging law abiding citizens’ right to keep and bear arms . . .
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin made the point that the Newtown killer used a semi-automatic he had no right to own. The fact that Adam Lanza didn’t own the guns he used apparently escaped his notice. He then appealed to the Elmer Fudd hunters out there to repudiate the NRA and other gun rights advocates to help Democrats in Congress pass their civilian disarmament agenda. It’s clear from the presentation of the gun-grabbing hall-of-famers in today’s presentation that they’ve made the determination that to get what they want, peeling off hunters from the rest of America’s gun owners is their best strategy.
Chuck Schumer drove home the point that “there’s no right to use 100 round clips in assault rifles” and called DiFi’s bill a collection of “reasonable limitations.” His only intent in supporting the bill, he professed, is to “spare the heartache and loss” seen in shootings around the country. It’s comforting to know we have people like Chuck Schumer in Washington working for our collective welfare.
The oleaginlous Richard Blumenthal, Senator from Connecticut, then took the opportunity to show that he’s part of the effort to “end gun violence in America.” He then thanked the assembled members of law enforcement without whom, as Schumer said, their gun control measure is a non-starter. His most nauseating statement: the children and teachers of Newtown might be alive today if Feinstein’s bill were law.
Connecticut’s other Senator, Christopher Murphy, mad the point that Adam Lanza was given a false sense of power by the video games he played that, apparently, prompted him to embark on his shooting spree. Murphy then made sure to work into his speech the names of every Sandy Hook child who died in Newtown.
And what anti-gun extravaganza would be complete without Rep. Ed Perlmutter whose district includes Columbine and Aurora? He asked what we’ve become when firefighters have to wear bullet-proof vests to do their job before ending with a quote from Martin Luther King. A gun owner.
Newtown’s Congressional representative, Carolyn Esty said that Newtown paid the price for political inaction and that we can’t allow the loss of those lives to without action. She then expressed her pride in joining Representatives McCarthy and Perlmutter in co-sponsoring the disarmament bill in the House. She then announced, in Kennedy-esque tones, that the horror of Newtown was America’s call to action.
Finally it was time to trot out some big city police chiefs to give the civilian disarmament effort a law and order imprimatur. Philly police commissioner Charles Ramsey wowed the assembled media and background props, taking them on a tour of a pegboard with an array of particularly menacing “military-style” rifles. His challenge while pointing to the gun: “Tell me why any of that needs to be on the streets of our cities. If you can tell me that, I’ll listen to you.”
Next up in the shameless dog and pony show was the parade of victims pledging their fealty and support for the AWB. Each pointed out how a “high capacity magazine clip” or assault rifle affected them or someone they love. DiFi dutifully stood close by to make sure that microphones were pointed optimally to pick up their words and occasional sobs.
Finally, Senator Feinstein made sure to point out that they’ve done their best to craft a responsible gun control bill. She made the point, however, that they face an uphill climb to get it passed and appealed to Americans to contact their representatives to enact it into law.