THE OTHER SHOE DROPS
Well, that didn’t take long…
The Obama Administration made it excruciatingly clear since before the election that a reinstatement of the onerous, Draconian – and, in the decade of 1994-2004, already proven useless – Assault Weapons Ban would be reinstated. It was the sound of one shoe dropping.
Some observers felt that the other shoe would never drop, because the new Administration had its hands so full with so many real problems that might actually have legislative solutions. Others of us felt that those factors were merely slowing down the inevitable.
It seems that the latter were the ones who bet the smart money, because the other shoe has just dropped.
Eric Holder, the most documentably and vehemently anti-gun Attorney General in United States history, just said as much. See it here in his own words.
The Administration appears to care nothing for the many jobs that would be lost to the firearms industry if these hugely popular arms were banned. See more here from National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Speaker Pelosi is saying Congress has more important fish to fry but given her on the record stance, I’m finding cold comfort in her words.
One Internet message that’s racing around prefaces the link with the acronym BOHICA. (Bend Over, Here It Comes Again.)
In deference to my good friend Jim Supica, a tireless fighter for gun owners’ civil rights, I respectfully suggest that we change that rallying cry to SUPICA.
Stand Up Positively, It’s Coming Again.
We all need to inform our elected officials on Capitol Hill in polite but unequivocal terms that this inexcusable waste of time, money, and effort will not be tolerated by the public…and will be well remembered by that public in its next collective trip to the voting booth.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I don’t think it’s gonna move in the House until Pelosi becomes too senile to remember the ‘94 elections. She will take no chances on becoming the minority leader in ‘10.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Although my natural inclination to be pessimistic wants me to give up, I take some hope in the following. Congressmen Boren and Broun (a Democrat and Republican respectively) have formed a task force on gun rights. That is a pro gun task force !
Just as happened last summer when an overwhelming majority of the house supported the bill which removes the ability of the DC council to regulate guns. That was a true bi-partisan effort. Same with the Boren initiative.
Let’s reach out to our representatives. Call them, write them, and don’t let them off the hook. We can win this one, but it ain’t gonna be easy !
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090225_11_0_WASHIN825829&allcom=1
February 26th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Call me an optimist, but I’m glad to see both Mike’s and George’s comments.
I really hope George is right.
However, as the book title said, “Hope is not a strategy.”
So I’m in agreement with Long Island Mike.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
In my opinion, they (Democrats) would be foolish to do this. Just think of it. Economy Jimmy Carters, Iran gains a nuke, Russia re-asserts itself….in 4 years people will wonder why a gun ban / restrictions in middle of THAT?
They’ll lose BOTH houses and the White House.
Do I think they’ll do it? Yes, I do…
We’ll get through it, just be vigilant and communicate facts to those on the sidelines. Enlist those (wives, brothers, sisters) into the NRA to make the numbers RISE in the wake of this negligent legislation.
Back each other up.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Yeah. No surprise to any honest or intelligent gun owner.
But check this:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/reid-joins-pelosi-in-opposing-weapons-ban-revival-2009-02-26.html
I’m no optimist, but that’s good news.
February 27th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Today I signed up for a lifetime membership with GOA and a 5 year membership with NRA. I intend to write to my various Congress members explaining that if they vote for any anti-gun or anti-2nd Amendment bill then I will actively campaign for their opponents in the next election.
What else do you suggest I do?
February 27th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Gee, and people are suprised about this?
I’m referring to Holder’s comment. Pelosi has gone on record as saying she would ban and “take” every gun in America if she could, “but the time isn’t right yet.”
This is going to be a very long hard four years for some of us. I can only hope and pray that he doesn’t get a second term, but odds favor him and not me.
Biker
February 27th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Keep in mind Obama’s shot down his appointee’s bad ideas on quite a few fronts so far. Most recently, the Secretary of Transportation suggested GPS in *every* car to track your mileage, so you could be taxed that way.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I did think that Obama might hold off on moving on this for at least awhile to preserve his liberal Congress.Eric Holder has a big mouth,so I imagine we’ll see Obama & company try to quiet things down over the coming days & weeks.He has to be aware of the failout from Bill Clinton moving too far-left in his early Presidency & it’s consequences.But then again,Clinton wasn’t the “chosen one” & it wasn’t politically incorrect to speak out against Clinton.Perhaps Obama believes if he pushes his agenda through early,then perhaps by the time the elections roll around,we’ll be used to it or we’ll all see how great & super quasi-Socialism really,really can be.
I’ll do what I can,but will keep a guarded optimistic perspective on this issue since I don’t think anything is going to stop this it from going through.Therefore,I’m going to go ahead & buy those last couple of “assault weapons” I’ve had my eye on while I still can.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:50 am
[...] Mas speaks, I listen. He speaks: THE OTHER SHOE DROPS We all need to inform our elected officials on Capitol Hill in polite but unequivocal terms that [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
On the “hope” front, I offer the great State of New Hampshire: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html
One of the “triggers” for resolution is:
VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and
Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I36vH_uTbic
We the People can take back the power without violence if we just stop giving authority to the government. Take away the authority, and we win.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I like the excuse they are using this time cause the last ban did nothing good here in the states.
“it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.” “I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum.”
OK First, banning “assault” weapons here will not effect drug lords with millions to spend on guns in Mexico (you can get anything in Mexico, from guns to a donkey show) .
Second, let Mexico deal with it’s own problems.
Third, I would like to be able to protect myself from armed drug lords coming over the boarder.
Forth, instead of locking up border patrol officers (like Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean) for doing their jobs keeping scum like that out of the country, they should add more border patrol officers and actually let them do their jobs.
Call them out on their reasons for a ban, point out the incident involving Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean. What else will they want to ban to achieve “a positive impact” in Mexico or maybe Canada next? It’s time to be vocal… VERY VOCAL!!!
~Brogan
February 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
[...] Ayoob had a pretty good blog post today about the implications of another ban. Massad Ayoob Blog Archive THE OTHER SHOE DROPS __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE Randy McRoberts [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I think the one thing we can trust is that Speaker Pelosi will do everything possible to ensure her political survival and that of the democrat representatives already in power. They will do nothing overt to risk that.
One other thing to look at is that banning an entire class of weapons whose definition would be broadly interpeted would invite intervention by the Supreme Court. I’d wager the democrats won’t risk another pro-gun decision by the Court until the court is well stacked with more liberal justices.
Now if the democrats maintain control after 2010, and/or Obama is reelected (neither is a lock, in my opinion) then I could see it being introduced and passing. I believe speaker Pelosi is worried about revolt of the younger democrats that weren’t happy about how the stimulus bill was handled and getting the population in general to take a harsh stand against congress for anything.
February 27th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
“Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, be the last Boy Scout”
Expect anything from the politicians in Washington, they think they are above all else since they get away with many things out in the open as we have seen ie: Failure to pay taxes.
With this mentality that get’s reinforced over and over again they will say anything and then just change their minds when it’s continent so we must let our representatives know NOW and OFTEN as in over and over again along with recruiting others that we know who may not be as moved to contact their representatives in Washington normally. Regular (but not stalking type!) reminders are good from several people are good but what is better is the number of DIFFERENT voters that contact them. Spread the word and explain to your friends and family how to go about contacting your state representatives and start doing it now, be pro-active not re-active!
February 28th, 2009 at 2:43 am
Hopefully they won’t be able to get enough votes for this BS. I know my Representative (he’s even a democrate) is a strong supporter of our right to own guns and hunts regularly.
I think Obama / Biden / Holder / Pelosi will do it anyways through executive order. Glad I have the ones I want already. I don’t think they will stop at a ‘ban’ they will come after every gun and use any excuse to take them.
I’m just wondering how much the American people will take before they say enough is enough. I beleive it’s gonna get ugly, real quick.
February 28th, 2009 at 2:44 am
Mexican drug lords are probably being armed by the military. I read a report that desertion rates were pretty high. Going for the money, bet they get more for taking along a weapon. Then there is the rancher that caught 16 illegals and held them at gunpoint for the Border patrol and is now being sued by them for infringing on their rights. What madness.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:55 am
How do you know when a Democrat is lying?
Answer: Their lips are moving.
Don’t believe anything coming out of Obama’s, Pelosi’s, or any other politician’s mouth. They lie easily, they lie often, and they lie convincingly.
Don’t assume that anything is on our side because if we get complacent, we’re going to lose.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:56 am
And one other thing. This has nothing to do with crime control. This has everything to do with disarming a population, and increasing government control over a population. This is pure, unamerican evil.
February 28th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Yea… how can machine guns and gernades be coming in from the USA where they have been either illegal or somewhat restricted when you have bordering countries with NO CONTROL like Guatemela and nearby countries like Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama that have had radical guerilla warfare for years. Out of control goverments, large drug lords with the best of any weapons they can get, and the street scum dealers with cheap weapons.
AND THEY THINK all of these weapons are coming from the USA ? PLEASE WAKE UP PEOPLE DON’T DRINK THAT KOOL AID!
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:08 am
Slightly off subject, Does anyone know how Compean and Ramos are doing since they were released? I think a grateful American citizenry should make sure they and their families are OK. Besides it would send a message to the idiots who locked them up in the first place.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Let’s face it, jobs are NOT a priority despite the rhetoric. Everything this administration and the Democrats in Congress are doing is to destroy jobs in order to destroy the “rich”, climate change (which has been happening since the world began), promote murder of the unborn, etc. We are important as a group because and solely because we might actually resist. We have the means and because their actions are an anathema to us, the motive to do so. They MUST disarm us to destroy us and those like us or who would be like us.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I would recommend watching Glenn Beck on Fox with regard to the Border Patrol officers. He and Lou Dobbs are practically the only MSM covering the story. Beck interviewed the wives a couple of weeks ago. They had their lawyers with them. Technically both men are still under house arrest and fitted with ankle monitors until sometime this month when they are to finally seperated from the Federal prison system. Until that occurs their lawyer said that they are barred from speaking directly to the media. So once that happens I am sure that Beck and Dobbs will interview them. Stay tuned and thanks for being concerned about two good guys.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Here are 2 links that go into detail on their plight. Hope this helps.
http://ramos-compean.blogspot.com/
http://politicsandcriticalthinking.blogspot.com/2009/01/ignacio-ramos-and-jose-alonso-compean.html
~Brogan