Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
A no-brainer to everyone — except the gun lobby
Using surplus money to confiscate weapons from 20,000 people who cannot legally have them is common sense, not 'an attack on honest citizens,' as one lobbyist put it.
By George Skelton Capitol Journal
March 6, 2013, 7:19 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — Enforce the laws already on the books. Take away the criminals' weapons, not the law-abiding citizens'. Sound familiar? It's the mantra of the gun lobby.
That is, until the government actually attempts to do it. Then the lobby changes its lyrics.
It seemed surreal listening to lobbyists for gun rights groups Monday, as if the ears were playing tricks. They testified at a state Senate Budget Committee hearing in opposition to legislation that would spend $24 million in surplus money to confiscate guns possessed by people who legally aren't supposed to have them.
They weren't opposed to the gun seizure, they said—only to the use of this particular money. It would come from the $19 fee each gun buyer pays for a background check to determine whether he's legally eligible to possess a weapon. Is he a felon? Mentally ill?
More: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-guns-20130307,0,2910994.column
By George Skelton Capitol Journal
March 6, 2013, 7:19 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — Enforce the laws already on the books. Take away the criminals' weapons, not the law-abiding citizens'. Sound familiar? It's the mantra of the gun lobby.
That is, until the government actually attempts to do it. Then the lobby changes its lyrics.
It seemed surreal listening to lobbyists for gun rights groups Monday, as if the ears were playing tricks. They testified at a state Senate Budget Committee hearing in opposition to legislation that would spend $24 million in surplus money to confiscate guns possessed by people who legally aren't supposed to have them.
They weren't opposed to the gun seizure, they said—only to the use of this particular money. It would come from the $19 fee each gun buyer pays for a background check to determine whether he's legally eligible to possess a weapon. Is he a felon? Mentally ill?
More: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-guns-20130307,0,2910994.column
That's right, the spokespeople for the national trade organization of gun manufacturers, gun retailers in California, and several prominent right-wing gun rights organizations are all opposed to re-allocating surplus fees to better fund existing law enforcement programs to take guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. Fortunately, they didn't stop this in committee and likely have no really chance of stopping it from passing the legislature and going into law.
Previous media coverage on this important program that is unique to California: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022397212
This is a must read for any DUer who still might even think for a minute that the gun lobby has any interest in gun control policy other than to make money off death.
Shame on the Merchants of Death and their Right-Wing Toads
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
