Democratic Senator: White House Gun-Control Plans 'Way in Extreme'

[LAGC]

(CNSNews.com) - Newly elected Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota said on ABC News' "This Week" today that the gun-control proposals under consideration in the Obama White House are "way in extreme" and are "not going to pass" in Congress.
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Host George Stephanopoulos asked Sen. Heitkamp: "Are you willing to sign on to some of the reforms that Vice President Biden and President Obama are already talking about?"

"You know, it's unclear," Heitkamp said. "I mean, you read Washington Post stories and you listen to what the administration says, and so I think what we need to do is we need to take a look at what happened at Sandy Hook. When I was attorney general, I was tasked with a national task force on school violence. We made a number of recommendations which, in fact, were adopted at Sandy Hook to help keep schools safer. They weren't adequate.

"Let's start addressing the problem," said Heitkamp. "And to me, one of the issues that I think screams out of this is the issue of mental health and the care for the mentally ill in our country, especially the dangerously mentally ill. And so we need to have a broad discussion before we start talking about gun control."

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/democratic-senator-wh-gun-control-plans-way-extreme

Uh oh... cue the torches and pitch-forks!!



Should be no surprise, but many rural Dems aren't on-board with new gun controls at all. And nothing is getting through Congress without them.

Looks like we'll have to look for other ways to deal with the violence instead...

[onehandle]

1. Pre-12/14 thinking. It's slipping away. nt

[Gman]

2. I suspect this is more about 2014 than anything

little if anything relating to gun control will pass the House.

[Denninmi]

3. You will all, however, be so much safer when I am in the concentration camp

Aka NRA approved mental health treatment facility.

Because I'm the problem, you know.

[libdem4life]

13. These are non-existent. Please. The real cost is $74 grand...taxpayer dollars.

How many of these do you think the NRA is sponsoring? None. It's on the taxpayer's dime. I don't know about you, but I could live comfortably on $74 grand. And that's just the residential part of it...it goes on and on.

"Eastern and Western State Hospitals. The Program of
Adaptive Living Skills (PALS) is a residential program on the grounds of
WSH and is intended as a transitional program where former patients
are taught community living skills. 3,181 clients, average client cost =
$73,659"

http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/dbhr/mh/MH2008Clients.pdf

[Denninmi]

17. I already have "community living skills"

As well as job skills, and I can walk and chew gum at the same time.

If some meaningful reforms of the current mental health system come out of this, with more funding and resources, great. If this become an excuse to scapegoat people like myself and take away civil rights it will be a tragedy of epic proportions to those of us with a mental health diagnosis.

[libdem4life]

19. How could you possibly see "scapegoat" out of this? We were speaking of serial killers and their

mimics or wannabes. Reforms of the mental system will not touch these people, let alone the cost of incarcerating them. It's a cop out ... and a poor one ... for not providing for gun management services as they are not mutually exclusive.

I've worked in children's mental health services. And there is no way to provide for the finance or the counseling of the adults in the system of one child who seriously needs care. We could barely get it for the child.

I apologize for any offense as I did not know your personal situation...truly.

[Denninmi]

20. You didn't offend me. Not at all.

The NRA, now that's highly offensive all around.

Would the proposed registration of people like myself prevent the Columbines and Newtowns? Highly doubtful. Would it really traumatize me yet again, after I ended up in the psych ward after being traumatized by a threatening situation at work and ending up a quivering, puking mass of nerves locked in my office? Absolutely.

But, hey, no doubt someone's property rights to own guns are a bit more important than my privacy, due process, and equal protection rights.

Not that I'm bitter about that, mind you.

[libdem4life]

21. It's not the job of the mental health folk...it does not apply...it is protected, and rightfully so.

No one is calling for any registration...it is illegal. Police record is another matter.

It is used as a Red Herring by the gun industry to deflect the responsibility of ... the gun industry...that is my point and I'm sorry that I'm not clearly expressing it. If someone has been arrested or police have been called and a report made, it becomes public record. I don't think anyone credible is asking for more than a record of that. And if any with a police record go to purchase a gun, it should be denied. I'm going to guess you have not nor ever will make application to purchase a weapon. Nor have or will I.

Let me state again, there is no possible way...it is gun control hysterical BS...that there will ever be a "registration" of any group...it is illegal...it is again, a Red Herring...it taints public opinion and neuters logical progress on gun management. Most police, at least in my experience, do not make a report even of a 5150 because they know it can be ruinous to the individual...unless there are weapons involved and threats against someone's life.

And we are talking about the right to purchase and legally own a firearm that can kill. The NRA is blowing smoke up the public's behind with all of this...deflecting not only their intransigence, but their continued march for profits and power.

I think we're in agreement here...hopefully.

[bowens43]

4. How many more dead kids will it take for the gun nuts to understand the issue?

[patrice]

8. How many more Invasions & Occupations of sovereign nations???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022186767

[sasha031]

5. Isn't CNS Pat Robertson's network?

She has since changed her tone of the issue, due to outpouring for support of gun control.
Ed Schultz covered this the other day.

[LAGC]

12. Did she? I just noticed the article is a week old, which could be an eternity in today's news cycle

Do you have a link to Ed's broadcast?

What kinds of measures is she warming up to?

[sasha031]

18. I don't know the specifics

What sh'es trying to do is walk back her original statement. It was either on Tues or Wed of this past week, Ed had brought it up.

[patrice]

6. This has implications beyond our borders, especially our border to the south. Please see legislation

sponsored by Jerry Moran of Kansas: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022186767

[spanone]

7. i amazed at the concern of gunners for the mentally ill.

they don't give a shit about the mentally ill....distraction.

[libdem4life]

15. Yes. It's a classic case of "forget about my gun...Look over here...over here...over here..."

[Scuba]

9. Yes, since one Senator from North Dakota thinks the not-yet-proposed proposals are exteme ...

... let's give up trying to regulate firearms.

Your "looks like" statement is absurd.

[HooptieWagon]

14. Its going to be more than one rural Senator.

There will be several rural Senators and Congress-critters. And probably several DLCers with industry ties. Add to that some pragmatic progressives who can't justify spending political capital on ineffective legislation thats unlikely to pass. So, some GOP help will be required.
Now, the GOP is not likely to support legislation that targets the 99.9999% of gun owners who will never shoot anyone. They probably will support legislation making it more difficult for felons to illegally obtain guns, and to address mentally ill people who fall through the cracks of background checks.

[Scuba]

16. Failure to stand up to the gun lobby will not be well received by the voters.

Bank on it.

[HooptieWagon]

23. They're only going to worry about their constituency.

I'm quite sure they don't care what you think.

[Scuba]

24. Poll after poll shows that a LARGE majority of Americans favor gun control.

[HooptieWagon]

28. Over 100 million gun owners, 60 million Obama voters.

You do the math. If the Dems are going to commit political suicide, at least let it be over effective legislation...not "feel good" legislation that won't have measurable effect.

[Scuba]

29. Um, I'm in both groups.

Do you really think most Democrat gun owners put their guns over everything else?

[HooptieWagon]

30. It depends on who proposed legislation targets, IMO.

If proposed legislation targets gun owners who have had background check, register their guns, keep them locked up, and use them for hunting, target practice, and collecting/investment...then I doubt a majority would support such legislation.
If proposed legislation targets those who aren't allowed guns, ie: convicted felons, mentally ill, underage..making it more difficult for them to get guns....then probably such legislation would see some solid support.

[MrSlayer]

10. We'll have to wait for the process to reach its natural conclusion.

But I was quite castigated for opining that absolutely nothing will be done about this in the end and perhaps rightly so. I'd like to revise my opinion and say that nothing of meaning will be done about it.

[libdem4life]

11. Right. The old "mental health issue" Red Herring. You can't declare anyone a mental health threat

without expensive legal proceedings...and a judge's declaration that, in essence, the state will be responsible for the rest of the person's life. Who here wants to bear the cost of a lifetime of institutional care...or the cost of a weekly psychiatrist...the outcome of being declared legally insane or incompetent, for every person who is a bit daffy and (they or their family) would like to be taken care of...on the public dime. Other than that, NO ONE can declare anyone "mentally ill" and they all freaking know it.

It's a perfect political and financial and trendy social camouflage for protecting what we can easily manage and legislate...weapons that are built to kill people and animals. There is also no capitalistic profit/money in "mental health" only enormous taxpayer cost. There are multiple millions of profit in weapons. Go figure.

[Separation]

22. I'm curious

Where do you stand on this?

[UnrepentantLiberal]

26. I'd guess he's all for gun control

for the mentally ill.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

25. There's that NRA mental health meme again.

[Pale Blue Dot]

27. According the The Rachel Maddow show, Sen. Heitkamp walked these comments back

...under extreme pressure from the people of her district.