NRA President: Assault Weapons Ban Won’t Pass Congress

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM



SAHIL KAPUR 9:13 AM EST, SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

National Rifle Association president David Keene on Sunday predicted that a ban on assault weapons ban and high-capacity magazines would fail in Congress.

"I would say that the likelihood is that they're likely to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." He said he also doesn't believe a ban on certain clips could pass either.

Keene's group accused the White House of seeking to undermine the Second Amendment after a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden last week.

On Sunday Keene reiterated: "We're not going to compromise on peoples' rights when there is no evidence that doing so is going to serve a purpose."

-30-

Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/nra-president-assault-weapons-ban-wont-pass-congress

[onehandle]

1. NRA: NOT Relevant Anymore

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2173479

[WooWooWoo]

2. not only would it not pass

I have a hard time believing the GOP would even bring it up for a vote.

[FreeBC]

12. yeah, that's what I was thinking too

[Mojorabbit]

20. I agree. nt

[Joe Bacon]

27. So what will happen when Keene's son goes on another road rage attack?

I guess Daddy sees nothing wrong with his son going on a road rage spree!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/new-nra-prez-david-keenes_b_856268.html

And not ONE SINGLE PRESS WHORE brings this up when that ass opens his mouth.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Not without an incredible public mandate

And that's not going to happen.

[tavalon]

6. It's happening all around you

You haven't noticed?

[hack89]

9. Have you talked to John Boehner's constituents?

who do you think is doing all that panic buying of guns and ammo? Besides, are you really saying that public sentiment has any impact on repukes? That they actually care about public safety?

[Kolesar]

29. I am addressing one of them right now...eom

[hack89]

30. Nope - a good democrat in a blue state

just because reality is not to your liking is not a reason to insult other posters. What I said is true - if wishful thinking and insults are all you have then you will fail. I am sure it will be a noisy, pouting, flailing fail but a fail none the less.

So explain to me how all those tea baggers are going to support you? Or is that a detail you rather not discuss?

[Kolesar]

41. that's your first ploy--next you will start talking about hammers...eom

[hack89]

42. No reason to talk about hammers.

I am all about facts and political reality - not emotional hyperbole and having to "do something" just to do something.

It is clear what will and what will not pass in Congress - we know from the past two years how Congress works. Acknowledging reality use to be a progressive trait - apparently not any more, at least for gun control.

[NickB79]

23. Are you sure of that?

http://www.gallup.com/poll/159569/americans-stricter-gun-laws-oppose-bans.aspx

PRINCETON, NJ -- In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., Gallup finds 58% of Americans in favor of strengthening the laws covering the sale of firearms, up from 43% in 2011. Current support for stricter gun laws is the highest Gallup has measured since January 2004, but still not nearly as high as it was in the 1990s.

snip

Nevertheless, Americans' views on the sale of assault rifles are unchanged. The slight majority, 51%, remain opposed to making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles.

[tavalon]

28. No, but I have noticed that a determined subset can often make positive change

I know I want this change and I see a number of other equally motivated people around me. Guaranteed? No. Possible? Yes.

If you listened to the people who wanted Rmoney, it was a given, a landslide, I think they said. We were determined not to let that happen. Similar thing.

[Turbineguy]

4. Oh well in that case

we shouldn't even try.

[tavalon]

5. Are you daring us, gun nut?

[hack89]

25. I think he is merely pointing out political reality

don't you think the NRA has personally contacted every congressman they have endorsed to see how they will vote? They know what votes they have.

[stultusporcos]

7. Sadly he is correct, it will take lots more dead white kids before anything is done

that is just reality.

Over 300 killed by guns since Newton so where is the outrage from the public?

The public is stockpiling arms and bullets now.

Holmes even has followers now and women are in love with him, he is a celebrity now in America!

Celebrity and being rich and famous is what kids aspire to be today in America!

When and where will the next one will happen is the only unanswered question left.

[primavera]

14. More deaths won't do the trick either

Gun nuts don't care how many innocents die by guns. 32,000 Americans die by guns every year and it's still not enough bullet-riddled corpses to give them even the slightest pause in their defense of their sacred, lethal toys. 3,000 Americans died on 9/11 and we were willing to chuck the constitution out the window and refashion ourselves into a police state that illegally detains, tortures, and murders anyone so much as suspected of vaguely having had anything to do with terrorism, but, in the face of 30,000 dead Americans a year, there's nothing to be done, it's simply the price we have to pay for our "freedom." If 30,000 deaths/year isn't enough, why should we believe that 100,000/year would convince them? Or 1,000,000/year? Face it, these guys could be the last people alive in the country, standing upon a desolate, smoldering wasteland covered in bullet-riddled bodies, and they would STILL think that their precious guns had nothing to do with it.

[Mojorabbit]

21. I think sixty percent of them are suicides

but it would cost money to set up programs to help people in distress. Easier to pass some worthless feel good legislation that will do nothing. That is how this country works anymore.

[Blandocyte]

8. I believe he is correct

We are stuck with the situation because gun ownership, or at least the freedom that grants it, is part of the DNA of our country. A cultural shift will be like turning an aircraft carrier around. It will take a long time. Assuming changing our culture in regard to ideas about gun ownership could happen at all.

Gotta keep trying, tho. Gotta keep growing a healthy culture.

[CBHagman]

19. It's bad but not impossible to change.

And I don't believe it's "part of the DNA of our culture." Things are the way they are because someone set out to make them that way. Jack Anderson chronicled the alteration of the NRA from marksmanship organization to lobbying powerhouse, and The Washington Post has done the same (See link). But the only constant in life is change, and no one's reign is eternal.

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-nras-true-believers-converted-a-marksmanship-group-into-a-mighty-gun-lobby/2013/01/12/51c62288-59b9-11e2-88d0-c4cf65c3ad15_story.html?hpid=z1[/url]

[zbdent]

10. "and if it does ... we will take you out."

Okay, not an actual quote, but implied ...

at their nicest, they will be driven out of office.

[Botany]

11. I hope this time he is wrong

[BlueNoteSpecial]

13. "Won't pass congress"...

...Yeah, uh huh, riiiiiiiiiight, and how many times have We heard this statement? Do I need to pull out the laundry list for you and your lemmings, Huckleberry Keene? We decide what will pass. Best you freepin' liars/deniers buy a whooooole lot of surfboards to ride the rising tide that's coming, and maybe you all should just use your precious weapons as flotation devices. Now, where is that danged Skynyrd album?

[SWTORFanatic]

15. If a republican or conservative lobbyist says a liberal issue won't pass congress

that means it might.

If a democrat or liberal lobbyist (lol, I know right?) says a liberal won't pass congress that means it won't.

Flip the issue around on conservative issue and it's also correct.

They're scared. It has a chance of passing. Will it though? That's the million dollar question.

[Dr_Scholl]

22. You honestly believe it will pass a Republican controlled House?

Yeah right...

[BumRushDaShow]

16. A brave parent needs to show the coroner's photo

of what these bullets will do to a 6 year old's head and body.

Like Emmett Till's mother did when she published her son's photo in Jet Magazine.

[plethoro]

17. Wouldn't even be close. NRA's pockets are too deep and now because of all the commotion there

are more guns than ever. You could arm a battalion with just the guns on my street. As of the first of the year, we have our own residents patrolling the street at night. Everyone takes a turn once every four months. We have cops too, but no one trusts them. They spend half the night at a donut shop. I'm looking an electronic security system. I don't want to pay over $2000 for it. I'd like at least a terabyte hard drive on it and a 100 foot of distance span. I wonder if Samsung makes them. Mostly, that's all I buy nowadays. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'd appreciate it. If you can't stay under $2000 that's okay; I'll consider it.

[ReRe]

18. I DO think it will pass Congress....

....if not now, then in two years when the people rise up and kick all of their red arses out of Congress (House and Senate) once and for all.

[hack89]

26. So all those people flocking to buy guns and ammo

in all those red states are going to do a 180 and vote for gun control?

The people are speaking with two different voices on gun control - you cannot assume that there is a national consensus on the matter. You certainly cannot assume that staunch conservative pro-gun states are going to change their minds.

[ReRe]

32. I seen on here somewhere that gun sales are going down...

...can't link to it, because I didn't bookmark it. May have been just assault weapon sales are going down since the backlash after Sandy Hook? I don't agree with you that there isn't a national consensus on sensible gun control. And there's a bunch of other ways to go at the problem that doesn't have ANYTHING to do with guns. I think there's more people in the United States with common sense than you think, even from red states. Good day.

[hack89]

33. But the bottom line is votes in Congress.

that is all that matters.

Sensible gun control by itself is a meaningless term - what is sensible to a person in Chicago maybe radical to a person in Texas. It depends on what laws are proposed - the danger of course being that gun control advocates overreach and push for more restrictions then the public wants.

I can see universal background checks and a high capacity magazine ban passing along with more funding for the NICS databases. An AWB is highly doubtful. Any law that actually bans possession of a type of gun is a non-starter as well as national registration.

Gun control advocates have a narrow line to walk - they can blow it all if they misjudge the public and overreach.

[ReRe]

35. OK... let it be...

...let "Congress" (i.e., the Republicans) vote it down. Let them. See what happens. I think it's the NRA advocates that's walking a narrow line. They have little, if any, judgement.

[hack89]

38. It depends what they laws are presented to vote on.

there is some gun control that their constituents will support.

Lets not forget that anti-gun sentiment on DU is not reflective of America as a whole - there are many proposed "solutions" such as actual gun confiscations or national registration that are truly minority views.

[NickB79]

44. We already saw what happened once

In 1994, the Assault Weapons Ban was enacted. Shortly thereafter, the Democrats lost the House and Senate to the Republicans for the first time in DECADES. In later interviews, Bill Clinton stated he felt the AWB had a good deal to do with this loss, as it allowed the NRA to rally the troops and really get out the vote against gun control.

Unless the American psyche has shifted DRAMATICALLY in the past 25 years, I don't see the Republican party suffering from a vote against gun control. In fact, I'm afraid they might GAIN from blocking new gun legislation, with moderate Democrats in the Midwest, South, and Southwest losing in 2014 and 2016.

I work at a factory that's part of the Teamster's Union. I've heard so many angry comments from guys I've known for years about gun control lately, guys who have voted Democratic for years. And Minnesota isn't even a battleground state; I'm terrified of what we'll see in places like Ohio and Michigan.

[Dr_Scholl]

39. Here's my prediction on what will happen.

Assault weapons ban- No chance of passing, period.

Ban on high capacity magazines-Slightly better outlook than an AWB, but still highly unlikely, especially in the House.

Universal background checks- Pretty good chance of passing.

Mental Health- May pass, but the dispute over this one will be funding.

[hack89]

40. That is a reasonable list

one thing that people are overlooking is the upcoming debt ceiling debate/fight/meltdown. It will suck all the oxygen out of the room for other issues.

[michreject]

34. If sales are down

It's only because they are sold out and there are none available.

[ReRe]

36. You might be right...

...about having sold out. Not to worry...I'm sure the gun manufacturers are working night and day to cash in.

[NickB79]

43. That's it exactly. There are no guns left

At least, the types of guns people are afraid will be banned.

I was at the local Mills Fleet Farm the other day (around here we call it the "farmer's mall" since it's like crossing a feed store with a Walmart), and the rack in the gun department was BARE. There were still a few .22LR guns and bolt-action deer rifles, but the portion devoted to AR-15's and AK-47's was cleared out. The ammo section was even worse; NO ammo left in any of the popular calibers, not even .22LR ammo. And the isle that had high-capacity magazines? That was cleaned out weeks ago.

[ReRe]

45. You should have asked...

...the clerk when they were expecting more in, that you was interested in purchasing items in the gun section. Just out of curiosity.

[NickB79]

46. I thought about it, but I hate talking to the gun counter guys

I've had to listen to far too many right-wing, anti-Obama craziness to take the risk asking them questions beyond "can I see that gun there on the shelf." To be fair, there are a few that are very professional, just discuss the gun itself, etc, but too many spin off into political speeches I'm sick and tired of hearing. I usually do my research at home and go in knowing exactly what I want beforehand to minimize the interactions.

[ReRe]

47. Well, I can understand...

...not wanting to rub elbows with them. I stay as far away as I can from wingers, gun owners or not. My BP shoots up when I figure out who they are. All they have to do is open their mouths and say a few words. I'm an old Democrat and can spot one just about everywhere I go, i.e. in the Doctor's office, waiting room at the car dealer, grocery line, etc., etc. I don't own a gun, never did, never will. So if I went in a gun store and asked questions, I would stick out like a sore thumb. They would more likely than not lie to me and send me on my way. But it would be a nice informative project for an undercover Democrat, who has the look and gun terminology to chit chat about guns and ask why their gun racks are so empty.

[Evasporque]

24. Then we can vote congress out.....nt

[RedstDem]

31. i think thats a correct assesment

I do believe the gun show loophole will be closed.
maybe a couple of other small measures will pass as well, like high capacity magazines and ammo restrictions....

[Paladin]

37. Political Negotiating 101

Make a strong push for an assault weapons ban, which more-than-likely won't pass. But it will make lesser, much-needed measures---a universal background check system with teeth in it, mandatory insurance, periodically-updated evidence of safety training, etc.---more likely to happen. After that, it's just a process of waiting out the next few inevitable slaughters of white people, and then we try for more. Sorry to sound so cynical, but that's how I think it will evolve.

[madville]

48. And the political cost that comes with it

If they stay on gun control to much it will cost us some House and maybe a couple of Senate races in 2014. There will be a Republican bloodbath in the primaries as well, kicking any of them off the ticket that vote for gun control in favor of someone pro-gun.

I think it really comes down to if we want to give 2014 to the Republicans or not, if we are successful in more restrictions(doubtful), it will ultimately be to their benefit, especially in the House.

[Paladin]

49. Sounds Like Wishful Thinking On Your Part.

Obama is a second-term president, re-election isn't a factor anymore. What if he takes the political heat for establishing some badly-needed firearms restraints via executive order, like he's threatening to do? If he does, what's the gun militancy movement going to do---try to get him impeached? Bring it on: Wayne LaPierre and Ted Nugent vs. Gabby Giffords and the parents of those slaughtered elementary school children.