Feb
27
By: Bill Hayes 1994 Called. It wants its Assault Weapons Ban back. It seems that lately the Republican Party has been defined not by what it is for, but by what it is against. However, with President Obama in office, that is really not a bad public policy. Perhaps it should be called a failsafe. Anyway, it should surprise absolutely no one that the Republican Party, and anyone who still respects the Bill of Rights, should be against the latest ideas of Eric Holder, the new Attorney General. While talking about civil unrest in Mexico, Holder said the following at a press conference: “there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons.” Apparently more limits on the constitutional rights of American citizens are necessary to help citizens of another country. Is anyone out there surprised by this rhetoric? Did anyone expect less from the new Democratic Administration? Of course not. The silver lining in this economic downturn is that it is keeping the attention of the Congress and Obama focused on how to nationalize American industry, instead of how to further erode the Bill of Rights. In case anyone was wondering, what Holder is inferring is that the Administration would like to reinstate the 1994 Clinton ban on “assault weapons.” The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban is a classic of liberal think: if we outlaw scary, military-like guns, then they won’t exist anymore. Unfortunately, this is not what happened in 1994, and this is not what would happen in 2009, either. The ban on the cosmetic aspect of firearms did nothing to reduce crime, and it further eroded the rights of citizens across this country to exercise their second amendment rights. However, all is not lost. It is important to remember that a lot of ticked-off gun owners were behind the Republican Revolution of 1994. The Democrats must certainly know that legislation like a new gun ban would do more harm to their election chances than good. And if there is another legislative fight against firearms, organizations like the NRA will be better prepared to stand up for our basic freedoms. Always remember: the anti-gun zealots out there know that they cannot ban guns outright and immediately. It must be done in small increments. Never, ever give an inch, because they will always want a mile.
