Congress, apparently because it has nothing better to do, is preparing to shove the preferences of its pro-gun Members down DC’s throat:
The legislation has four main goals. It would repeal the D.C. ban on semiautomatic pistols and rifles; eliminate the city’s gun-registration requirements; allow District residents to purchase guns in Virginia and Maryland; and abolish the regulation that guns kept at home be unloaded and either disassembled or fitted with trigger locks.
Opponents of the legislation said it could have even more far-reaching effects because of what they termed its vague provisions
“You could drive a truck through this language,” said Peter Nickles, acting D.C. attorney general. He noted that the bill would bar the D.C. government from passing any laws that would “unduly burden” residents wanting to have or use firearms as long as they met federal requirements.
But wait, don’t the Democrats control Congress now? Well, let’s not let some silly little principle like self determination get in the way of your election year antics:
[The] legislation is likely to prevail in the House, according to congressional sources and supporters and opponents of the bill. It has won the backing of 48 Democrats, many facing reelection in strongly pro-gun areas, and is expected to pick up broad support among Republicans.
Right. Great job, Nancy.  Useless ()*@#@#%#$ Democrats.
EJ
Assuming obama wins and also assuming the democrats dont win such a large house majority that they have over 50 percent without the bluedogs, I’m intereasted in seeing if this later mentioned group puts their money where their month is.
They ran as pro-gun, many of them pro-life, and all of them to some extent the vauge notion of “fiscal reposnsibility.” Now that they would be in the majority and couldnt hide behind the other party, I wonder if Pelosi will have some difficulty controlling her own caucus when they start touching the social issues and very large spenidng programs. This is especially important wconsidering the republicans im sure will take every political opportunity to try to bring up bills that will drive a wedge between the bluedogs and the Pelosi leaderhip. This gun bill im sure will not be the only one. It could be interesting…
Terry Carter
Thank you Nancy Pelosi. Not only are you allowing the NRA to get it’s way but I’m also still trying to figure out why you won’t bring SCHIP up for a vote to force Republicans to vote against the popular measure right before an election.
MB
Fair question, EJ, tho’ I’m not sure how relevant it will ultimately turn out to be (there’s not a lot of room for individual policymaking in a two party system).
In any event, this particular instance wasn’t at all about upholding personal beliefs. Rather, it was about putting their noses in someone else’s business (which is ostensibly a negative thing, in their home districts). Oh, that I had the resources to push for a Robert Maplethorpe exhibit in each of their districts.
Don’t fuck with us, and we won’t fuck with you. Seems simple enough.
silence dogood
I’m not even particularly anti-handgun, but this is still infuriating. I was watching the news last night and was treated to a number of council- and committee members arguing about how much of a hassle it is remove a trigger lock, load a magazine, and be prepared to fire. Money quote: “Fumbling around in the dark for the key to a lock, putting the gun back together, and then going and trying to remember where you left the bullets…if Al Qaeda is targeting you, this will do nothing to protect you.”
Oh, fuck off. Al Qaeda is not going to break into your house so they can steal your tv. It diminishes the more-reasonable arguments of law-abiding, sane gun owners to bring in the Al Qaeda straw man. It diminishes the debate between those folks and the thoughtful opponents who do support the second amendment but want to see reasonable controls in place to reduce the number of unnecessary accidents. And it diminishes one of the most significant national security threats we face to treat the perpetrators of 9/11 like they’re looking to pawn off stolen stereos to support their meth addictions.
Seriously, for fuck’s sake.
EJ
well im not making any particular point on this law regarding dc… i dont know the recent details of what congress is doing exactly, and personally im kind of a moderate when it comes to gun laws fitting somwehere in between the two sides.
But i just find this interesting, beacsue as i talked about in my post, maybe we are returning to a sistuation that occured in the pre 90s where the democrats always held the house and usualy held the senate, but republicans were able to get a lot of what they wanted because they allied with the southern and miswestern democrats. Reagan afterall was able to get tax cuts through and a defence buildup because of southern democrats. As Charlie Wilson was depicted as saying in the recent movie, he himself a democrat “all i have to do is not take their guns and not raise their taxes and i can vote on anything else”
There may be more democrats in this situation very soon. Because so far anyway, the shift in power has more to do with republican incompediance and corruption in recent years then an ideological shift. A lot of these new dem conressmen wont hold there jobs for very long if they all stilck with pelosi on everything.
MB
Well, that could be the heading of every intelligent text on US politics, couldn’t it?
Like you, I’m not anti-handgun (own one, myself), but that’s almost entirely beside the point, here.
As to the security theater aspect, I well and truly hope we never see what an utter failure these people have been, when it comes to actually protecting people. The time and money sent into the coffers of organizations dedicated solely to misrepresenting the actual threats would make Ike raise up and put a stake through these vampires, I think. You know. If there were such a thing.
~
EJ, I really don’t have any idea if that will turn out to be a factor or not. Honestly, the scenario you suggest evokes feelings of annoyance in me – I don’t really want opportunistic social engineers playing spoiler in my party. But really, given the very present and very real battle to wrest control of the political process from the sheer fucking lunacy that that GOP has brought it to, it doesn’t seem like such a bad problem to face.
JA
Oh yes, of course. The gun ban has done such a bang-up job (no pun intended) of deterring crime in our nation’s capital.
P.S. Who the hell would want to live in DC anyhow?….