12:01 AM September 14, 2004: The federal assault weapons ban
of 1994 expires. Now all Americans can again have the liberty of purchasing 19
kinds of assault weapons including AK-47s, TEC-9s, and M-16s
The night before: Narberth, PA hosts an evening vigil
against this change. Governor Ed Rendell, Congressman Joe Hoeffel, and
candidate Lois Murphy express outrage that automatic weapons, designed for
military use, are about to be back on the open market. I remember standing in
the tranquility of the Narberth playing fields, with a sense of unreality. Are
we part of the same nation that is so enthralled with guns that we can’t even
limit assault weapons?
July 2012: Another mass murder, likely leading to yet
another lost opportunity to create common sense gun laws.
On PBS Newshour, AJ Dionne states that “…both parties are
afraid… The Republicans are allied with the gun lobby and the Democrats are
intimidated by the gun lobby.”
Arianne Huffington writes that our gun murder rate is 20 times higher
than that of the next 22 richest nations combined. University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey R. Stone
indicates that Americans are 40 times more likely to be killed by guns than the
average Englishman or Canadian.
On Fox News, Uber-Conservative Irving Kristol suggests that
Democrats are being cowardly and foolish in that there is support for moderate
gun control, “if you separate it clearly from the desire to take away peoples
handguns and hunting rifles.” He says that President Obama is “unwilling to
take a strong stance.”
Entitlements have always been called the “third rail” of
politics, which would be fatal to touch, yet the Republicans are constantly
proposing reductions in Medicare and Medicaid.
Gun control is the remaining third rail. Democrats stand for
clear values of equality and a decent standard of living for all Americans.
This has to include a right of staying alive! Among other things, we must push
for cities to have some control of their own gun issues, close the loopholes to
purchasing weapons, and again ban assault weapons.
Will Democrats lose votes by taking a clear stance on guns?
The strongest conservatives and the NRA already are putting their resources to
bear for Romney. Democrats taking and holding onto a principled stand will
stand in stark contrast to Romney constantly catering to his right wing, and
show that a party can take on powerful interests in its caring for the health
of the whole community.
Its time to stand up for our values! Let us not be, in Ed
Rendell terms,
A Nation of Wusses.
