Time to get aggressive:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/...56,00.html?=rss

I'm with you on this one Thai. I read the same story this morning and it should annoy America that their security is being put on hold for the election.

Assault Weapons Ban Was Useless Anyway
By John R. Lott Jr.

September 10, 2004

With the federal assault weapons ban sunsetting on Monday at midnight, the gun-control movement has a lot to fear, but not what most people think. Despite claims that letting the 10-year-old ban on some semiautomatic weapons expire will result in a surge in gun crimes and police killings, the fact is that letting the law expire will probably just show the uselessness of gun-control regulations. A year from now it will be obvious to everyone that all the horror stories about the ban — a cornerstone of the gun-control movement — were wrong.

Life without the ban is being painted as a frightening state of affairs. Sarah Brady, one of the nation's leading gun-control advocates, warns that "our streets are going to be filled with AK-47s and Uzis."

Ratcheting up the fear factor to an entirely new level, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) claims the ban is one of "the most effective measures against terrorism that we have."

Yet, despite the rhetoric, there is not a single published academic study showing that the ban has reduced any type of violent crime. Even research funded by the Justice Department under the Clinton administration concluded only that the ban's effect on gun violence "has been uncertain." When those same authors released their updated report in August looking at crime data up through 2000 — the first six full years of the law — they stated, "We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence."

The reason for these findings is simple: There is nothing unique about the guns that are banned under the law. Though the phrase "assault weapon" conjures up images of the rapid-fire machine guns used by the military, in fact the weapons covered by the ban function the same as any semiautomatic hunting rifle; they fire the exact same bullets with the exact same rapidity and produce the exact same damage as hunting rifles.

The firing mechanisms in semiautomatic and machine guns are completely different. The entire firing mechanism of a semiautomatic gun has to be gutted and replaced to turn it into a machine gun. This law had nothing to do with machine guns.

In recent weeks, at least one gun-control group has begun to change its tune. A spokesperson for the Violence Policy Center said, "If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another in terms of our objective, which is reducing death and injury and getting a particularly lethal class of firearms off the streets. So if it doesn't pass, it doesn't pass." The center argues that the law involved only "minor changes in appearance."

Why the sudden conversion? Probably because the group knows its credibility is on the line.

A year from now, when it becomes obvious to everyone that all the hype about a resurgence of "assault weapons" was wrong, gun-control advocates want to be able to claim that they never thought the law really mattered.

Too bad they didn't admit this a decade ago.


John R. Lott Jr., a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author of "More Guns, Less Crime" (University of Chicago, 2000).
Assault Weapon's Ban Was Useless Anyway.

Bring on the assault weapons! If the terrorists come over here again, I'm loaded! LOL

So called "independent minded" "non partisan" (NOTE: I didn't believe this ruse for one second) mad John cites the American Enterprise Institute, NOTOURIOUSLY biased FAR RIGHT WING think tank.

John, how about a thought or two from your OWN independent brain about ASSAULT WEAPONS?

http://www.fair.org/extra/9805/think-tanks.html

They're Not Assualt Weapons, You Genius!

An assualt weapon is a weapon that uses automatic fire capability. These weapons only LOOK, like assualt weapons. Just like toy guns look like the real thing. The only thing that they can do is fire semiautomatically.

For you intellectually challenged, that means, pull trigger, bang: pull trigger, bang, pull trigger, bang. With true assualt weapons, you pull the trigger and a stream of bullets comes out the barrel. You in your infinite wisdom know what the barrel looks like, don't you? That's that little thing at the 'front' end of the weapon. Don't point it at yourself and pull the trigger, because one round can still end your misery.

Oh, that's right. Symbolism over substance is what counts with the Collectivist Left. What matters is what you 'feel' about things. The fact that a weapon fires only one shot at a time doesn't matter if it is jazzed up to look 'bad', like the real thing.

If you look bad, you just have to be bad, right? Intellectually laziness at it's height. Almost like using harsh language to hold off terrorists.

So call them semi automatic weapons.
The American POLICE are against these weapons, GENIUS.

They know with these legal, there will be more DEAD COPS.

So, using logic, GENIUS, that means mad John L, along with bush, supports MORE DEAD COPS.

You can keep your cracker life in the hillbilly hills; we are fighting for a CIVILIZED country, and we do not need LEGAL semi automatic weapons, or whatever you call them.

News flash: Kerry links these guns to TERRORISTS.
So I guess mad John wants the terrorists to have these guns too.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n...1435EDT0614.DTL

I think that I will allow you to act like the jerk-off, and display your butt for all to see. Clearly you do not mind, as you have done so for the entire year. And you probably have a dozen roses placed there for our scrutiny. And try to debase yourself a little more, as you most certainly are capable of doing.

Allowing creative 'political pedaphilia' to emphasize your brand of 'Democratic Wahabbism', only allows others to witness your 'moral deliquency'.

Kindly allow me to step aside, so you may assualt yourself even more.

Interesting, mad johnnie.
When you are BUSTED parroting a radical right wing think tank and called to task about the POLICE position, you resort to outrageous personal attacks.
You purport to be some kind of intellectual above such tactics; let this be clear evidence to everyone of your true heart of darkness.

Also, please for the benefit of the great unwashed, including moi define the terms:

'political pedaphilia (SIC)'

and

'Democratic Wahabbism'

Thank you, sir Madalotte.

Johnny keep your skirt on love.

Guns are bad in the hands of red necks.

The laws you guys have, means guys like you can buy one over the counter.

A republican with a gun is dangerous, until he gets confused and looks down the barrel himself

I much prefer the open sale of guns in stores where background checks and registrations provide a paper trail by which to trace the crime committed with guns...as opposed to getting them though the underground or from France and other of our pseudo allies.

That said, has the congress even submitted a request for the Ban to be extended?

yeah, youre "loaded" all right.

one too many beers would explain your ridiculous political positions and lack of critical thinking.

Har de har har...at least I don't have to rely on using Michael Moore verbiage to like you do.

I swear all you libs must have taken a MM class in how to speak without making a point.

But you forget that anyone who does have a mind capable of divergent thinking realizes the MM lack of substance rule makes it impossible to carry on a coherent conversation with you. Therefore, your remarks are just verbal excrement.

did u, John L and Fake-McCain take that class too?

cuz 90% of your posts amount to nothing more than "liberals are French".. lol.


and what does Michael Moore have to do with anything? i saw ONE of his movies ONCE... i have enough self-researched facts that i have absolutely no need to rely on Michael Moore for information (unlike u Right Wingdings that cant live without your O'Reilly/Drudge/NewsMax caca).


nice try at changing the subject to Michael Moore tho.


Republicans = masters of obfuscation.

Not my problem is you can't see the French Connection just yet. Some people just take longer to learn. There's still hope for you.

Here's the thing about MM followers...they're angry at everyone and everything because (it is said) they and MM have self esteem issues and prefer to think society has dealt them a bad hand rather than go see a shrink.

Here's the thing about me....I don't follow anyone's 'wisdom'. I have a mind of my own and I reason what makes sense to me. I watch and read all sorts of opinions, but I support those I agree with. So pardon me if I don't support the MMMM - Michael Moore Misguided Mindset.

I hardly think discussion of MM is changing the subject. MM is very much a part of what is wrong with the far left. And btw....throwing the 'changing the subject to MM' is a MM thing! LOL