Democratic senators want ban on assault weapons
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of the school shootings in Connecticut must include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a look at how the nation deals with individuals suffering from serious mental illness.
Several Democratic lawmakers and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said it was time to take a deeper look into the recent spate of mass shootings and what can be done to prevent them. Gun control was a hot topic in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted a 10-year ban on assault weapons. But since that ban expired in 2004, few Americans have wanted stricter laws and politicians say they don't want to become targets of a powerful gun-rights lobby.
Gun-rights advocates said that might all change after the latest shooting that killed 20 children aged 6 or 7. Police say the gunman, Adam Lanza, was carrying an arsenal of ammunition and used a high-powered rifle similar to the military's M-16.
On Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin, a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, said it was time to discuss gun policy and move toward action on gun regulation. The conservative West Virginia Democrat said Monday he agrees with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has advocated banning the sale of assault weapons.
Manchin is the most prominent gun rights advocate to speak after the shooting, telling MSNBC that he is a "proud outdoorsman and hunter, but this doesn't make sense."
At a Sunday night service in Newtown, Conn., the site of Friday's massacre, President Barack Obama did not specifically address gun control. But he vowed, "In the coming weeks I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this."
He added: "Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?"
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the nation "could be at a tipping point ... a tipping point where we might actually get something done" on gun control. He and other Democrats, as well as Lieberman, said they want to ban the sale of new assault weapons and make it harder for mentally ill individuals to obtain weapons. Lieberman said a new commission should be created to look at gun laws and the mental health system, as well as violence in movies and video games.
"Assault weapons were developed for the U.S. military, not commercial gun manufacturers," Lieberman said before the Newtown vigil Sunday night.
"This is a moment to start a very serious national conversation about violence in our society, particularly about these acts of mass violence," said the Connecticut senator, who is retiring at the end of the year.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she will introduce legislation next year to ban new assault weapons, as well as big clips, drums and strips of more than 10 bullets.
"It can be done," Feinstein told NBC's "Meet the Press" of reinstating the ban despite deep opposition by the powerful National Rifle Association and similar groups.
Bloomberg said Obama could use executive powers to enforce existing gun laws, as well as throw his weight behind legislation like Feinstein's.
"It's time for the president, I think, to stand up and lead and tell this country what we should do - not go to Congress and say, 'What do you guys want to do?'" Bloomberg said."
Gun-rights activists had remained largely quiet on the issue since Friday's shooting, all but one declining to appear on the Sunday talk shows.
David Gregory, the host of "Meet the Press," said NBC invited all 31 "pro-gun" senators to appear on Sunday's show, and all 31 declined. All eight Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were unavailable or unwilling to appear on CBS' "Face the Nation," host Bob Schieffer said.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, was the sole representative of gun rights' activists on the various Sunday talk shows. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Gohmert defended the sale of assault weapons and said that the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who authorities say died trying to overtake the shooter, should herself have been armed.
"I wish to God she had had an M-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands. But she takes him (the shooter) out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids," Gohmert said.
Gohmert also argued that violence is lower in cities with lax gun laws, and higher in cities with stricter laws.
"The facts are that every time guns have been allowed - conceal-carry (gun laws) have been allowed - the crime rate has gone down," Gohmert said.
Gun-control advocates say that isn't true. A study by the California-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence determined that 7 of the 10 states with the strongest gun laws - including Connecticut, Massachusetts and California - are also among the 10 states with the lowest gun death rates.
"If you look at the states with the strongest gun laws in the country, they have some of the lowest gun death rates, and some of the states with the weakest gun laws have some of the highest gun death rates," said Brian Malte of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Several Democratic lawmakers and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said it was time to take a deeper look into the recent spate of mass shootings and what can be done to prevent them. Gun control was a hot topic in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted a 10-year ban on assault weapons. But since that ban expired in 2004, few Americans have wanted stricter laws and politicians say they don't want to become targets of a powerful gun-rights lobby.
Gun-rights advocates said that might all change after the latest shooting that killed 20 children aged 6 or 7. Police say the gunman, Adam Lanza, was carrying an arsenal of ammunition and used a high-powered rifle similar to the military's M-16.
On Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin, a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, said it was time to discuss gun policy and move toward action on gun regulation. The conservative West Virginia Democrat said Monday he agrees with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has advocated banning the sale of assault weapons.
Manchin is the most prominent gun rights advocate to speak after the shooting, telling MSNBC that he is a "proud outdoorsman and hunter, but this doesn't make sense."
At a Sunday night service in Newtown, Conn., the site of Friday's massacre, President Barack Obama did not specifically address gun control. But he vowed, "In the coming weeks I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this."
He added: "Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?"
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the nation "could be at a tipping point ... a tipping point where we might actually get something done" on gun control. He and other Democrats, as well as Lieberman, said they want to ban the sale of new assault weapons and make it harder for mentally ill individuals to obtain weapons. Lieberman said a new commission should be created to look at gun laws and the mental health system, as well as violence in movies and video games.
"Assault weapons were developed for the U.S. military, not commercial gun manufacturers," Lieberman said before the Newtown vigil Sunday night.
"This is a moment to start a very serious national conversation about violence in our society, particularly about these acts of mass violence," said the Connecticut senator, who is retiring at the end of the year.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she will introduce legislation next year to ban new assault weapons, as well as big clips, drums and strips of more than 10 bullets.
"It can be done," Feinstein told NBC's "Meet the Press" of reinstating the ban despite deep opposition by the powerful National Rifle Association and similar groups.
Bloomberg said Obama could use executive powers to enforce existing gun laws, as well as throw his weight behind legislation like Feinstein's.
"It's time for the president, I think, to stand up and lead and tell this country what we should do - not go to Congress and say, 'What do you guys want to do?'" Bloomberg said."
Gun-rights activists had remained largely quiet on the issue since Friday's shooting, all but one declining to appear on the Sunday talk shows.
David Gregory, the host of "Meet the Press," said NBC invited all 31 "pro-gun" senators to appear on Sunday's show, and all 31 declined. All eight Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were unavailable or unwilling to appear on CBS' "Face the Nation," host Bob Schieffer said.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, was the sole representative of gun rights' activists on the various Sunday talk shows. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Gohmert defended the sale of assault weapons and said that the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who authorities say died trying to overtake the shooter, should herself have been armed.
"I wish to God she had had an M-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands. But she takes him (the shooter) out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids," Gohmert said.
Gohmert also argued that violence is lower in cities with lax gun laws, and higher in cities with stricter laws.
"The facts are that every time guns have been allowed - conceal-carry (gun laws) have been allowed - the crime rate has gone down," Gohmert said.
Gun-control advocates say that isn't true. A study by the California-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence determined that 7 of the 10 states with the strongest gun laws - including Connecticut, Massachusetts and California - are also among the 10 states with the lowest gun death rates.
"If you look at the states with the strongest gun laws in the country, they have some of the lowest gun death rates, and some of the states with the weakest gun laws have some of the highest gun death rates," said Brian Malte of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
The fact is we have many Rights that can be abused. It is already too late to ban Assault weapons because then only Criminals will have them and there is no way the gov't could find them. Also let's face the fact that no one really needs one and the only reason they get them is that they are a Penis Extension. They are a luxery so lets tax them according to Caliber, Barrel Length and Magazine Capacity and the Ammo as well.
Sounds like you are going to need to buy a few.
 @swede760 You don't really need to eat good food... you just need enough slop to keep you alive - anything more is just a penis extension.
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The problem with your statement is that under your plan, there would be a government official or Dr or someone appointed to decide whether or not the average citizen gets a chance to own a gun.
That very situation is what our Founding Fathers feared.  Give the government permission to tax them out of existence and you've created the same situation as out and out ban. Â
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I, for one, do NOT wish to have my rights stripped from me because someone somewhere has broken the laws already on the books! Â You may give up your rights, but you have no right to surrender mine.
@Umhal, Sorry you so desperately need your Penis Extension but I never said anything about or even suggested anything that would limit your right to own an assault weapon and I stand by my statement that for the average citizen they are nothing but Penis Extensions to boost self inflated egos.
 @swede760 LOL - i just think it's laughable, this penis extension thing you've mentioned. Â
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I fundamentally disagree that taxing or infringing in any way cuts into the 2nd, and that erosion is the stuff we should fear. Â That erosion does nothing to solve the base issue of lawless behavior in individuals. Â That erosion does nothing to safeguard our brothers and sisters, help them avoid whatever it is that pushes them into the hopelessness which ultimately results in murder and mayhem.
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it's not a penis size thing.
As pointed out in past post; Common threads - Mental issues - Stolen weapons - High capacity magazines - crowned places. We have outlawed possesion of stolen weapons - makes absolutely no difference. We will not eliminate crowded places. We refuse to do anything about mental health issues, to talk against them would be politically incorrect and other programs would be expensive. Chances are, even with adaquate facilities we may have not intervened soon enough.Â
Instead of impacting legal citizens, by denying them rights, demand that they take more responsibility to preserve those rights. They are "legal citizens", after all.Â
Produce legislation that requires firearms, when not in use to be secured and locked in a safe or cabinet of metal construction, not to be less that 16 gauge steel and that is secured by key or combination, not accessable to others. Require that the safe or cabinet be manufactured in USA!!Â
Last line was a bump for the economy.
 @Brownknight Very good ideas!
I demand a ban on overreacting Senators.
They're the dangerous ones.
It's about time for the gun industry to thank the Democrats. Their sales are about to sky rocket;-)
I think we should ban SPOONS because SPOONS make people fat!
 @portlandborn83 and cars, fires, ropes, knifes, bicycles, bubble bath & toothbrushes
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
They should just ban killing people. Much easier to manage.
I love Firearms and hunting but I seriously can not find a common sense reason to own an assault weapon and I have owned one in the past. Also the whole self defence argument does not hold up very well, when was the last time anyone on this thread had to pull a Gun out for self protection?
Last summer on two occaisions. Both dealing with drug addicts or alcoholics I confronted. On one I was armed and he was armed with a blunt object. It was not neccesary to draw the weapon, as he did not draw his. Second incident, drunk trespasser at a relatives who refused to leave and became a real threat, backed off when I drew my weapon. Police summoned in both incidents. I do not ignore problems just to let them become someone elses problem.
 @Brownknight Just asking, I have never had to aim a weapon at a human being yet. The Golden Rule of Firearms is that you never aim your weapon at anything you do not intend shooting. I would have to have been there to judge your situations so I will not comment. I once heard a guy brag thaat the most intimidating sound is a 12 ga. racking a shell in the dark. My answer was why let him hear you before pulling the trigger? Life is not Hollywood Theatrics and when it comes to Firearms it is all or nothing in the real world.
@swede760 @Brownknight This is just my personal opinion but if the sound of a weapon being readied gets the criminal to back off and rethink his lifes goals then I'd much rather do that than end his life. Same with pulling a weapon at someone who has the idea of mugging me or someone else. I'd only ever want to use deadly force if the person who was intending harm on me was in the mindset of doing said harm no matter what, then and only then would I believe deadly force is needed. The problem is, the mere act of charging your weapon or even pulling it is also against the law and is considered menacing, which as far as Im concerned is kind of dumb depending on the situation. Just my opinion, we're entitled, bash away. :)
 @swede760 little over a year ago
Circumstances?
Police Report?
Did you open Fire?
An assault weapons ban won't change a thing. These are middle class Americans that are losing it and going on a shooting spree. The assault rifle used at Clackamas Mall was STOLEN. These kinds of mass shooters will do this with a pistol, rifle, assault rifle, or a slingshot.Â
It's time Congress, local Legislators, and the ordinary citizens unite and find a solution to the lack of Mental Health Care in our society. Enough with the picketing on guns. There is far more to this problems than a guy stealing another gun.
It's time to have a national discussion about mental illness among gun enthusiasts. What is it about this odd hobby that causes a minority of these nice people to suddenly snap?
 @realoldguy Well in the past 2 incidents, these people were not "gun enthusiasts", they were thieves who stole the guns to use in their crimes. Maybe the facts have changed since the last story I have read. So I guess your statement doesnt hold up so well. How about instead of blaming the tool, lets blame the person who committed this atrocity?
"This conversation has been dominated in Washington by - you know and I know - gun lobbies that have an agenda" Durbin said. "We need people, just ordinary Americans, to come together, and speak out, and to sit down and calmly reflect on how far we go."
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If he just removed "gun" from that statement it would cover just about everything in washington !
Government motto Never let a tragedy go to waste always find a way to push your agenda.
Senators, dont we already have a ban on SENSELESS MURDER? how will this stop madmen from killing people?
How is that ban on heroin and meth working out?
They want bans on those dangerous guns, fine but if we are going to ban dangerous items lets not stop at guns. I propose the imediate ban of all alcohol, and cars to prevent deaths from drunk driving. I propose a ban on all swimming pools and hot tubs to stop the deaths by drowning they cause every year. Bicycle have to go as accidents can cause death. All knives must go as those can be used to kill, along with fishing line, baseball bats, glass bottles, plastic bags, guitar strings. all these items can and have been used to kill people lets ban them all.
Come and take 'em, Senator. So I guess the pistols he used didn't kill hard enough. The Dems have been salivating for an opportunity to try to pass this legislation and, well, here it is. But they're still not going to answer the question of how they're going to go take "assault weapons" from people who have them, or how that would have stopped Charles Whitman, and all the handgun violence. Oh...wait, they'll go after that next until there's nothing left but shotguns. Of course, a shotgun could really mess up a crowd of people so... ...by the way, your taxes are going up and if you don't pay them they will seize your property.
Dont be delusional.
Any of these mass shootings could have been carried out with a bolt action .22.
So if the liberals take away semi auto weapons of larger caliber, and some wack job goes into a grade school with a legal .22 bolt action rifle and kills 30, what then?
Slippery slope based on flayed ideology.
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@Jack_Bauer Simple, then they take away that right to, because what type of sick b...... Needs more than 1 shot?
Here they come again.
 Why do Democrats or Republicans want to play the POLITICAL CARD now?, like that will stop this killing? does anyone want to realize that Morality is falling to a all time low in this country, we don't want to follow Gods laws, we want what we want, we want to kill the UN-borne, have same sex marriage, have Obama care force church medical institutions that don't want to provide abortions, do to their moral beliefs , force abortions down their throats , and yet the President get up on the podium tonight and quotes scripture....how hypocritical! ...and now their are thinking about banning automatic weapons, when Two guys, a truck, some fertilizer, diesel fuel and powdered soap committed the largest mass murder on American soil with out a gun. So as long as there are sick minded individual hell bent on hurting others this will never stop.Â
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And if America as a whole does not heed to 2Chronicles 7:14 which says " if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land", then Gods hand of judgement will start and you will see more and more of this, I am not meaning everyone has a religious experience I am just saying America, this once proud nation who recognized a God who has given their freedom and liberty and we respected him as the creator of all things, now want him out of our schools, our government and our nation.
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There's no fake crying democRat or new gun law that's going to keep you safe, that's why we have the 2nd. Â The break down of families and faith leads to this type of mayhem. Â Turn your TV off, spend some time with your family, do a good deed for someone, engage in acts of random kindness. Â Until our society begins to return to the basics and the fundamentals, we'll be plagued by this type of senseless violence.
"Assault weapons" are already banned. Neither this clown nor the kid at CTC used an "assault weapon" to commit their crimes. It's amazing how authoritarian the left is when and what they'll condone when it's part of their agenda.Â
 @axpman Semantics and the illustrious press - it is like every tissue is a Kleenex and every motorcycle is a Honda...
@boned @axpman What you call semantics, I call the government (and news agencies) using the wrong terms to describe somethign in an effort to make it sound worse and or assist in pushing new laws that really are not required. From Wikipedia: "An assault rifle is a select-fire (either fully automatic or burst capable) rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine." "Assault rifles vs. Assault weapons In United States politics and law, an assault weapon is a variety of semi-automatic firearms that have certain features generally associated with military firearms, including assault rifles. The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired on September 13, 2004, codified the definition of an assault weapon. It defined the rifle type of assault weapon as a semiautomatic firearm with the ability to accept a detachable magazine and two or more of the following: a folding or telescoping stock a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon a bayonet mount a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor a grenade launcher The assault weapons ban did not restrict weapons capable of fully automatic fire, such as assault rifles and machine guns, which have been continuously and heavily regulated since the National Firearms Act of 1934 was passed. Subsequent laws such as the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 also affected the importation and civilian ownership of fully automatic firearms, the latter fully prohibiting sales of newly manufactured machine guns to non-law enforcement or SOT (special occupational taxpayer) dealers.[8]"
What a classic take on a something that has been tried before - nothing in Feinstein's new bill deals with the million's of weapons that are already out there in the hands of law-abiding citizens, or the criminals, but that is next...
'there should also be a national commission to scrutinize gun laws and loopholes, as well as the nation's mental health system and the role that violent video games and movies might play in shootings. '
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 So, we just need to edit the 1st and 2nd amendments. Then, everything will be sunshine and roses?
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You're not going to legislate this behavior away, Senator. I sincerely doubt that you're going to end it even if (and, OMG that's a big 'if' ) you could completely strip the 2nd amendment, you'd still have the Tim McVeys of the world.
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It's pretty pathetic to see the elected critters foaming at the mouth to find a way to gain midterm cred by jumping on these types of events with ideological pablum touted as solutions.
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Meanwhile, the economy is still in the dumps, and we're bankrupt as a nation.... But, by all means, Sen Lieberman, you go after Grand Theft Auto. Â
And I want my cat to cough up 1 oz. gold American Eagles, instead of hairballs. Americans will not allow their rights to be taken away simply because of the criminal conduct of a few.  Â
 @Derek2mk Through the illegal acts of our government our rights are being stripped away... gradually, but still being stripped away.
 @Derek2mk That depends since at least 97% of American's are too busy trying to keep their heads above water to even pay attention as to what is going on...
Once the second amendment is done away with, the others will be easier to do away with. Don't let them take your freedoms.
 @Postmortem It is too late, Omama and his cronies are already laughing at us...
We are going to have to put politics aside. Surely, we can do better than this!!
 @Rob C 503 How does a threat to a constitutional right not involve politics?
It is an impossibility.
 @Rob C 503 How? The UN has an agenda, Omama has an agenda and we do not collectively have enough money to even begin to join the discussion considering the appointment of John Kerry as Sec. of State, SIR!
I guess this goes without saying. It was illegal for this person to go in to a school with a gun, it was illegal for him to steal the guns, it was also illegal to murder people in cold blood. So by making "assault weapons and high capacity magazines" illegal, how does that stop people like this? We need to properly arm people in gun free zones to stop evil people like this and stop legislating weapons away from law abiding folks.
 @commonsense33 In your opinion then, limiting the number of these weapons wouldn't have changed a thing?  What if his mother hadn't had these weapons?  I read he went to a gun store, but didn't want to wait for 14 days.  Maybe if he had waited, things would have changed.  Evil is an easy word to throw around, and there is no question that his act was evil. But we have no way of knowing what motivated this guy.  If it was mental illness, maybe the evil cloud would have passed.
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Why do you think it's good for people to have assault weapons? Â What do you think they are good for? Â Should we also grenade launchers, surface-to-air missiles, where would you draw the line?
@blotto @commonsense33 Your fighting to ban weapons that weren't even used in this crime. What kind of sense does that make?
 @blotto So you would rather legislate to feel "safer"? We already know that across the country, actual justice in the court system has dropped off to basically a slap on the wrist. Departments are having their budgets cut at every single moment. So now we would rather create laws that dont prevent crime in the first place that only law abiding citizens would follow to feel safer? How does that make any sense. Oh and lets not glaze over the fact that this evil person had the ability to do his evil deeds easily because we dont want armed professionals in schools. We would rather just have teachers lock the crappy particle wood doors with thin glass and hide under particle wood desks waiting for the cops to arrive? Time to learn from this and stop making the same mistakes.
 @commonsense33 We need reform and I AM a gun supporter. I feel it's selfish of people to even complain about this in light of all the KIDS that were MURDERED. There's always a conspiracy theory too. Then all these people that tout being able to over throw the government if it gets too bad. I hate to say it but these are the people I worry about the most. I have guns, but will do what I can to cooperate. I dont see a ban on guns in the future, but I do see a major overhaul of the laws.
 @PDXBEAR  @commonsense33 In other words, you are completely fine with the government taking away our constitutional rights. No problem with it?
When they want to take your 1A rights, how are you going to stop that? Or when they want free access to your home to be sure you arent involved in any 'anti government' types of activities, or unapproved religious activities. What then?
The 2A is there because our founding fathers were very wise. It protects everything.
Take it away and we go from citizens to subjects.
 @PDXBEAR  @commonsense33 What kind of "major overhaul" do you see? Do you see a major overhaul for the first amendment as well? I mean, after all, the first amendment could arguably be more responsible for more intention homicides than the 2A is, especially abroad (you heard about the riots about the youtube video, right?)