“CLINTON WANTS A GUN SUMMIT” February 18, 2008

[jody]

CLINTON WANTS A GUN SUMMIT

Clinton started with the line she rolled out a couple days ago about recognizing that there is “no conflict” between letting lawful gunowners have weapons and keeping guns out of the hands of bad guys and the mentally ill.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“I believe we really should have a summit where everybody comes together on all sides of this issue,” Clinton said. “Let’s figure out how we can be consistent with the Second Amendment, which I wholeheartedly support, and do more to keep people safe.

“I think we can do that, but it’s going to require us all to maybe give a little and understand the point of view of the other people,” she said. “That’s something I would do as President to really bring people together.”

“We know we need better background checks and we know we’ve got to have mental health information in there,” she said.

Given that gun-grabbers have never produced a statistically valid study that shows gun-controls a.k.a. gun-bans reduce crime, what is there to discuss in a gun summit?

It's really funny that BO endorsed by arch gun-grabber Kennedy and Hillary endorsed by arch gun-grabbers Feinstein and Schumer have finally acknowledged what we RKBA supporters know, gun-grabbers lose presidential elections, and they are figuratively trying to make friends with the NRA.

Many law abiding citizens will not vote for a candidate who supports banning handguns or certain designs, e.g. semi-automatic.

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry know that being perceived as a gun-grabber can cost elections.

[johnbraun]

1. Sounds like she's listening to Bill.

"The fights I fought... cost a lot. The fight for the assault weapons ban cost 20 (Democrats) their seats in Congress."

--Bill Clinton, 2004.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[jody]

5. Dem Party says "We will protect Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms, and we will keep

guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists by fighting gun crime, reauthorizing the assault weapons ban, and closing the gun show loophole, as President Bush proposed and failed to do."

See http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf

I'm a Democrat and since you oppose the Dem Party platform and its support of the 2nd, I must ask "Are you a Democrat?"

[derby378]

13. Well, I do oppose that "reauthorizing the assault weapons ban" bit...

Am I wicked to do that? :silly:

[jody]

15. I also see no value in the AWB. n/t

[gorfle]

14. Anything more recent?

The URL implies that that is from 2004. Does that document still reflect the current party platform?

[jody]

16. I understand it's the current platform until the 2008 one is written this summer. n/t

[SteveM]

3. The CANDIDATES are bringing up 2A, not the posters here...

Over and over, gun-controllers posting here have "blamed" pro-2A folks of trying to make guns an issue to some how embarrass the Democratic candidates. Yet, over the last week or so, BOTH Democratic candidates have broached the subject of guns twice.

I have been blabbing about this for several months. Obama has the most to gain, not because his record on 2A is good (it stinks), but because he doesn't carry the activist gun-control baggage Clinton has come to symbolize; he's a somewhat unknown quantity. And now both are talking about 2A with NO prompting from "gun nuts."

[AlinPA]

4. re: "Gun Grabbers": Seems that even the NRA chief LaPierre is a "Gun Grabber".

Apparently even he saw some need to discuss the issue.

(Sorry I don't have the link, but I copied this text from a press article that reported the legislation associated with the VA Tech shootings.):

Last year, Congress passed a law that was hailed as "the first major gun control legislation in a decade" in response to the Virginia Tech shootings. The legislation was supposed to close the loophole that allowed Seung-Hui Cho, who had been ordered by a judge to undergo outpatient mental health treatment, to buy a gun. The press slipped into a bipartisan rapture over the involvement of the NRA in crafting the legislation:


With the NRA on board, the bill, which fixes flaws in the national gun background check system that allowed the Virginia Tech shooter to buy guns despite his mental health problems, has a good chance of becoming the first major gun control law in more than a decade.

"We'll work with anyone, if you protect the rights of law-abiding people under the second amendment and you target people that shouldn't have guns," NRA chief Wayne LaPierre told CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Atkisson.

"As the Virginia Tech shooting reminded us, there is an urgent national need to improve the background check system" to keep guns out of the hands of those barred from buying them, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

[derby378]

6. Well...

Amendment II Democrats is currently on track to hold a "Gun Summit" (re: caucus) at the Texas Democratic state convention in June, does that help? :evilgrin:

[jody]

7. That's great.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[benEzra]

8. This is a very, very good thing, I think.

At the very least, it would be an opportunity to educate the candidates on the issue. It's NOT about hunting.

----------------------
Dems and the Gun Issue - Now What? (written in '04, largely vindicated in '06, IMO)

The Conservative Roots of U.S. Gun Control

Thoughts on Gun Ownership

[jody]

11. I agree benEzra, you've preached "NOT about hunting" but presidential candidates don't get the msg.

I do hope the 2008 Democratic Party platform will be better written than the 2004 platform.

IMO the 2004 platform was a first, small step toward removing RKBA as a divisive issue that can win or lose elections.

[L1A1Rocker]

9. I'm concerned

that this is nothing more than political double speak for coming together and figuring out how we can get another assault weapons ban passed.

I do not trust Hillery Clinton on the gun issue.

[jody]

10. If voters can't "trust Hillery Clinton ( BO) on the gun issue", they will have a tough time winning.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. I don't trust either one of them on this issue

Both would sign a new "improved" assault weapons ban. Both would sign a bill that eliminates face-to-face unregistered sales between residents of the state (the gunshow loophole).

I'll vote for either in Nov, but many "single-issue" voters won't, unless there's some strong language promising no new restrictions. We Dems love to keep poking this "third rail" just to see if it's still electric.