USA –-(Ammoland.com)- Quick reactions by the administration and top Democrats downplayed remarks by President Barack Obama that appeared to endorse a resurrected federal “assault weapons” ban. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the “schedule is too packed to even have a debate,” the Associated Press reported Thursday. That same day, The Hill reported House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi stopped short of calling for tougher laws, and even White House Press Secretary Jay Carney disavowed any immediate plans to introduce “gun control” legislation as the president himself “sidestepped a reporter’s question,” ABC related earlier today.
In another big gun-related development, it appears the UN Arms Trade Treaty will not be adopted today as scheduled and anticipated, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner Dave Workman reported late this afternoon.
What these developments indicate is restraint and political pragmatism on the part of the administration and party leadership, and a concession that citizen disarmament is a losing political issue. What this means is, barring currently unforeseen circumstances that diminish the threat of Republican gains, overt support for more legislation by politicians not from “safe” districts will be stifled, at least until after the November elections.
Regardless, new ways to advance citizen disarmament “under the radar” are still being explored, anticipating a time when it will be deemed safe to greenlight them. Among these could be moves that bypass the legislature altogether, such as executive orders designed to limit imports of “non-sporting” firearms and ammunition, and new and costly requirements for licensed gun dealers that could drive smaller ones out of business.
Additionally, anti-gun legislative measures are still advancing, buried in pending bills that would escape notice unless watchful eyes were ever-present. A case in point, The Hill reported Thursday, is a cyber security bill sponsored by leading “safe” Senate anti-gunners, containing an amendment that “would make it illegal to transfer or possess large capacity feeding devices such as gun magazines, belts, feed stripes [sic] and drums of more than 10 rounds of ammunition with the exception of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.” The bill is scheduled for debate and amendment votes next week, and while survival of that provision is questionable, it illustrates that public liberty must be guarded with jealous attention and that the devil is always lurking in the details.
About David Codrea
David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He is a field editor for GUNS Magazine, and a blogger at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance. Read more at www.DavidCodrea.com.
They're liars… S.A. 2575 has been introduced last week and may be voted on this week. It's a ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.