In dealing with the issue of gun violence, Ridge–who was a member of the panel that investigated the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre–warned that a simple assault weapons ban wouldn’t immediately solve the problem of the increasing gun violence in America.

“During the course of this discussion, nobody is talking to those 25 to 30 people a day who get killed in urban America on one-on-one,” he said. “We’re not talking about mental health. There are a lot of other issues. We haven’t dealt with a lot of the other cultural issues. It’s an important first step, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves that the challenge is met simply with an assault weapon ban. “

While he agrees that both the ban and the more thorough background checks are extremely important it wasn’t the only answered and offered some advice to President Barack Obama.

“The debate must continue about urban violence, one-on-one violence, culture issues, and as well as mental health issues.”


-- Modified to include the word "national"

-- Modified on 1/11/2013 11:43:46 PM

changes when every state in the South has a worthless program and continually cut mental health.  You won't put a dent in the crazies; have to put a dent in the guns.

In spite of calls from gun control advocates after the shootings last week in Aurora, Colo., Congress is unlikely to revisit the assault weapons ban, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer said Wednesday.

The Clinton-era ban on the manufacture of assault weapons expired in 2004. Hoyer, who voted for the ban, said neither the Republican-led House nor the Democratic-led Senate have the votes to reinstate it.

Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said he remains supportive of a ban, but voters need to come to some sort of agreement on the issue.

“Assault weapons have one purpose, and one purpose only: To kill a lot of people quickly. No other purpose,” the Southern Maryland lawmaker told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “I don’t think anybody hunts deer, quail – geese, in Maryland – with an assault rifle. And if they do, they shouldn’t be.

“Having said that, what we really need to do is create a consensus in this country, because we don’t have the votes on the floor of the House, and they don’t have the votes on the floor of the Senate, to pass anything. And we would be kidding ourselves to put legislation on the floor which would, at this point in time, even in light of the tragedy – in light of the Columbine tragedy – would not pass.”

Police say Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes used an assault rifle, a shotgun and a handgun in the attack that killed 12 injured and injured dozens early Friday during the premiere of the new Batman movie.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-hoyer-assault-weapons-ban-20120725,0,1708360.story

Opposition from the well-funded and politically powerful NRA underscores the challenges that await the White House if it seeks congressional approval for limiting guns and ammunition. Obama can use his executive powers to act alone on some gun measures, but his options on the proposals opposed by the NRA are limited without Congress' cooperation

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0111/Video-games-next-on-Joe-Biden-s-quest-to-stop-gun-violence-video

-- Modified on 1/12/2013 6:38:00 AM

if Sandy Hook had happened just prior to the election?

Of course it WAS a Republican who gave us the "Patriot Act"! Now they are honor bound to defend the very principles of "Conservative" against its political polar opposite who is using a similar "crisis" rationale to justify yet another "Government grab" of our Constitution & Bill of Rights.

 A third of the populace will become(and likely remain)by definition "criminals" if they outlaw modern, Semi-automatic rifles and large capacity clips.
 Very old, very large, and very profitable gun manufactures(and ancillary supporting businesses)will suffer sizable fiscal losses(after implementation) resulting in higher unemployment/poverty numbers.
  Millions of otherwise law abiding citizens will AGAIN be fucked over in their innocent efforts to save/collect/accrue something of value for fun, profit, or simple legacy.
  And do you think the "Entertainment" industry is just going to give up "Billions" to the same knee-jerk, feel-good; but ultimately effete legislation?

Neither censorship nor another "Prohibition" will stop a determined, sociopathic aberration from committing an atrocity on innocents.

Right now the Constitution and Bill of Rights is the 2nd Amendment and the recent S. Ct. opinion styled D.C. v.Heller.

http://www.scotusblog.com/2008/06/dc-v-heller-round-up/

Yale Law Prof and former Putlitzer prize winning NY Times S. Ct. Reporter Linda Greenhouse  on Heller:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/washington/27scotus.html?ref=washington&_r=0

None of the regulations proposed are impacted by Heller or the 2nd Amendment.  The knee jerk reflex from NRA brass not NRA members like LaPierre are always to say the Constitution and Bill of Rights are impacted by gun regulation. They are not.

No! I said industries/jobs would be impacted, and valuable, legally purchased/owned possessions of honest, working, struggling, law abiding citizens would ultimately be mandated to be turned in with little or no fiscal compensation. Or risk possible criminal prosecution down the road.

The Patriot Act is a blasphemy to our 4th Amendment; but like scarred sheep we traded "essential liberty for temporary security". Good Job RED team! You forever legislated away our RIGHT to privacy!

Now the RED team craftily vies for Freedom of Speech and Expression while the equally opportunistic BLUE team seeks to demonstrably marginalize the 2nd Amendment. And long before the results of this “Gun Grab” prove ineffectual the BLUE team will be instinctively targeting semi-auto hand guns, and then Six-Shooters!

  How much shit are you willing to give up so that you can delude yourself into believing 'EVERYTHING is guaranfuckenteed'?

be. Something will pass: I'm betting on the  usual watered down ineffective shit bill.

It's not going to infringe on 2nd Amendment rights or those defined in the 2nd amendment by the S. Ct. opinion I invoked called "Heller."

Difi's so-called assault ban was a joke.  It just caused end runs around assault rifles sales to soar.

The results of gun ownership that are shot by own gun will continue to rise as well as gun massacres in schools and other public places.  You can take that to the bank.

Ask the gun aficianao in Georgia how he's enjoying his massive gun collection after being fatally shot surrounded by it.



-- Modified on 1/12/2013 5:25:44 PM

another school shooting in California by a kid who was bullied.  Used a 12 ga shotgun.  Best choice of weapon loaded with the right shot for cleaning up targets at close range.  Even some grunts who walked point in Nam knew a good scatter gun was very effective when the range would be very close because the vegetation was so thick.  Get rid of assault weapons and the very good pure hunting weapons that can also do the job very effectively will also be targeted.  The anti gunners objective is to remove all weapons from legal owners, and we can become a nation like Mexico ruled by the strongest gangs.   No point in debating an assualt weapons ban, because once we go down that slippery slope, we will go all the way.  No one knows that better than the NRA.  IMHO.

the punk would have made a mess in that classroom.

But go get those ARs and AK semi-autos which account for 3% of gun murders in the US.

Who are they trying to kid.

GOOD! I won't need to hide the contents of my private locker.

I need those guns for squirrels and revenuers

The political cable TV stations ran before and after clips of Harry Reid.  #1 was blasting the invasion of privacy when it first came up with that awful disingenuous name.  #2 was recently where Reid sang a completely different tune.  Lost in the headlines about the 'fiscal cliff' with next to no media attention whatsoever, the Patriot Act was renewed with little fanfare.

Patriot Act renewed despite warnings of 'secret' law
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20067005-281.html

You have no protection from government snooping whatsoever,  ATT and other carriers continue to make all your conversations and emails available on servers in Maryland, one in North Georgia, several in Virginia.

3 great places to read about the details of the privacy invasion surrounding the PA
are Danger Room-- a site that's part of Wired Magazine's site. It's very good

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/

Also:

http://www.firedoglake.com
http://www.emptywheel.net


-- Modified on 1/13/2013 5:42:01 PM

Japan or the UK where there are extremely few deaths due to firearms?  There is no other modern industrialist country that has anything close to our thousands of firearms deaths every year.  How does this help make the US a world leader?  In firearms deaths?  Something to be proud of?