The Gun Fight in Washington. Your opinons?

realjohnboy wrote:

If H2O had read the article he cut-and-pasted, or any of the more in-depth stories on gun control, he would find that the President and the Senate leadership have no expectation of reviving the issue ahead of the 2014 elections.

I believe you are mistaken. It appears that the Democrats are planning to make gun control the central feature of the 2014 elections.

The whole problem with the opinions from the gun lobby is that they're calling it "gun control." No such thing! Everybody still will have the right to own firearms if they are not considered criminals or have a history of mental illness.

Frank, you seem to be attracted to gun owners with nuts... you miss your don't you.

When will they learn...

Erica Lafferty, the daughter of slain Sandy Hook Elementary School principal Dawn Hochsprung, confronted Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) Tuesday over her vote against expanding background checks for firearm purchases.

"You had mentioned that day you voted, owners of gun stores that the expanded background checks would harm," Lafferty said, during a town hall in Warren, N.H. "I am just wondering why the burden of my mother being gunned down in the halls of her elementary school isn't more important than that."

Ayotte told Lafferty she was sorry for her loss but did not directly answer the question.

"I think that ultimately when we look at what happened in Sandy Hook, I understand that's what drove this whole discussion -- all of us want to make sure that doesn't happen again," she said.

Lafferty stormed out after the exchange, according to NBC News, saying she "had had enough."

Ayotte began her town hall by defending her vote, which took place two weeks ago, reflecting an awareness that her poll numbers had tanked in the aftermath. Ayotte's approval rating dropped by a total of 15 points, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling released last week.

"Where we are right now, my focus has been on wanting to improve our current background check system," Ayotte said at the top of her remarks. "Frankly, we have fallen down on actually prosecuting gun crimes and violations of our current background check system."

She emphasized the need to address gaps in the mental health system and take steps to ensure that the mentally ill are unable to obtain firearms.

NBC reported that the discussion of gun control resulted in "a shouting match" between those who supported Ayotte's vote and those who were more critical. One attendee accused Ayotte of regulating the questions she took during the town hall but refusing to regulate guns.

Much of the debate from both sides of the issue over the past week has centered around Ayotte's vote. Pro-gun groups such as the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation ran radio ads commending her for protecting the rights of gun owners, while Americans for Responsible Solutions, the super PAC founded by Tucson shooting survivor and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), ran its own radio ads criticizing her for voting against a measure that had the support of 90 percent of Americans. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has also announced its plans to go after Ayotte over her vote.

Ayotte isn't the only senator to take heat for her role in defeating the background check amendment. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) addressed the backlash on Monday, as he and other senators also saw their approval ratings tumble.

by MIKE BAKER / Associated Press

Posted on April 29, 2013 at 12:39 PM

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gun control advocates in Washington launched an initiative campaign Monday, enlisting the help of voters to expand firearm background checks after lawmakers declined to pass a similar measure.

The group Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility will need to collect nearly 250,000 valid signatures, with state officials recommending the submission of more than 300,000 to account for duplicates and invalid signatures. Organizers are still finalizing language for the initiative and will begin gathering signatures in the summer months.

Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick was among those who are supporting the campaign.

"For law enforcement, criminal background checks are essential in protecting lives and property," Lovick said.

Gun buyers must currently undergo a background check when they purchase a weapon from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Lawmakers in Olympia had proposed expanding that to cover private transactions, fearing that criminals or the mentally ill were acquiring guns without sufficient checks.

That legislative effort fell short in recent weeks.

Advocates believe the polls show the public is sufficiently on the side of expanding background checks. An independent Elway Poll conducted two months ago found that 79 percent of registered voters in Washington state supported background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions.

However, gun control supporters also believed polls were on their side before 70 percent of Washington state voters rejected a 1997 initiative campaign that would have required handgun owners to pass a safety course.

The new initiative effort will likely be costly. Christian Sinderman, a political consultant working with the gun control group, expected the campaign could cost somewhere between $3 million and $10 million -- or more. The group will have costs for collecting signatures, then reaching out to voters and potentially competing with an opposition campaign from pro-gun groups.

Dave Workman, a spokesman with the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, said he couldn't really comment on the proposed initiative since the details of the measure hadn't been drafted.

"We're a little skeptical about it," Workman said. "The devil is always in the details with these things.”