Gun control unlikely to get on agenda despite shootings

CNN: Gun control unlikely to get on agenda despite shootings
April 17, 2007
By Bill Schneider
CNN Senior Political Analyst

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Is the Virginia Tech tragedy likely to put gun control on the political agenda? Don't bet on it. In recent years, gun control has been an issue most politicians prefer to stay away from.

The last significant gun control measures to make it through Congress were the Brady bill in 1993 and the assault weapons ban in 1994.

And what happened? Democrats lost control of Congress for 12 years. President Clinton said the gun lobby had a lot to do with his party's defeat. Democrats have been gun-shy ever since.

Then-Vice President Al Gore rarely talked about gun control during the 2000 presidential campaign....Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presidential candidate, went hunting during his campaign....Nevertheless, the National Rifle Association ran an ad railing against Kerry and Gore's stance on gun rights. "John Kerry, you are not fooling America's gun owners," the ad stated. "They know you voted against their gun rights for 20 years. So now you're running away from your record, just like Al Gore did."

This year, former New York City mayor and current Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, a longtime supporter of gun control, says the matter should be left to the states. Polls show the public supports gun control. Why don't the politicians get with the people?...

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...public anger is not usually sustained very long, whereas gun owners remember every gun control vote as a threat to their rights. Gun owners vote the issue. Supporters of gun control typically don't. So politicians believe they will pay a price at the polls if they support new guns laws, even when most voters agree with them. When it comes to public opinion, intensity matters. Not just numbers.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/17/schneider.gun.control/index.html

position on this issue?

yeah, right.

Instead, I expect her to schedule a photo op in front of the NRA center, talking about the 2nd Amendment being so important to the nation.

and the fearmongers who keep Congress from doing what they know they ought to do.

That's the intensity the gun lobby and it's hanger's on brings to bear.

You damn straight! I watched Gun Control, total DECIMATE support for democrats in my family back in the early 1990's

Even my parents turned their back on us, and they where UNION ORGANIZERS..... Kinda of hard to get support for candidates, who by their stances. totally alienate people whom normally would be very supportive.

Those of you pulling for more gun control, just think about THIS...We LOST the house and senate in 1994...We did NOT, get them back until 2006

WHAT CRITICAL LEGISLATION WAS TOTALLY TOSSED OUT DURING THOSE 12 YEARS???? WHAT LEGISLATION WAS RAMMED DOWN OUR THROATS DURING THIS TIME??

Now for the most important question, Was about 1/2 the Brady bill (half was tossed out in court) and the Assault weapon ban, that don't exist anymore..WORTH IT?????? Was being castrated for 12 years WORTH IT?

comes off as a gun grabber they will be history. That goes for any other state in middle America we just can't win trying to hang on to the same east and west coast states all the time and ignoring the rest. It seems like our party has the same 51% philosophy as Karl Rove. The whole strategy seems to be just trying to hold onto the Blue states. Every election any more depends on taking either Ohio or Florida.

Hello--Supreme Court playing doctor for all women?

the Department of Injustice--a whole 'nother can of worms.

It doesn't matter whether the gun nuts win or lose, nuts are nuts, fascists are fascists, and people are dying becuase of them.

Just imagain, if Kerry and Gore had not been a rabid anti-gunner, they WOULD have gotten in power..

Both where Anti-gun, it costed them both dearly.

AS I said, how much do you want to throw away?

At what cost do you want to TRY to have gun control? Remember, many of the Democrats that where elected in 2006 are very pro-gun, politically, the "pro-gun" side IS in charge