Senator Kennedy is offering an amendment to
the absurd NRA bill before the Senate that will hold gun manufacturers liable if they sell to anyone listed on the FBI's "Most Wanted Fugitives" or "Most Wanted Terrorists" Lists. The bill in its current form does not. It's a valentine to the gun industry, and undermines the safety of our nation while doing nothing to enhance or protect the Second Amendment, which is usually the defense for these types of bills. The Senator made some good points about this bill on the floor today; I've crystallized them below. You can (and should)
read the full text here.
www.tedkennedy.com
The law that is being pushed by the Republican leadership is very similar to a bill that failed to pass last year because the NRA didn't like an amendment that would reauthorize the assault weapons ban. President Bush campaigned in 2000 that he would support the ban, but he instead allowed it to expire. The NRA's Executive VP, Wayne LaPierre, asserted that Bush won the election in 2000 because Al Gore supported the ban on assault weapons. "It's simply bad politics to be on the wrong side of the second amendment at election time," he told the New York Times.
The NRA's gun bill this time has nothing to do with enforcing the Second Amendment, , fighting crime, or strengthening gun laws. It has absolutely nothing to do with citizens owning guns - it's only purpose is to offer the gun industry a level of immunity that is not available to any other other business or industry in the United States today. The protections this bill will give the gun industry are stronger than the U.S. Government has. This bill will provide the gun industry with exceptional immunity from liability if a gun they manufacture is used to harm or kill someone.
Gun makers are not subject to any consumer safety regulations - manufacturers are free to design, manufacture, and distribute their product with no oversight, and they are the only industry that has this absolution of responsibility.
Senator Kennedy has introduced an amendment that would hold gun dealers and manufacturers liable if their guns end up in the hands of anyone listed on the FBI's "Most Wanted Fugitives" or "Most Wanted Criminals" Lists.
You may be asking your self - what about the gun laws already on the books, surely those should be enough? Maybe, if the gun lobby wasn't already working to undermine those laws.
* Background checks - these are supposed to make gun dealers check out who they are selling weapons. The gun lobby successfully lobbied Congress to significantly narrow who "counts" as a gun dealer. There are now multitudes of unlicensed people selling millions of guns to people without performing any kind check, and without requiring any kind of record of who the gun was sold to.
* The Gun-Show Loophole - Troops in Afghanistan found a manual describing how easy it is to legally obtain weapons in the United States at gun shows. The NRA's lobbying has made gun shows one of the easiest ways to purchase a gun without a background check.
* Oversight of gun dealers - The NRA has successfully lobbied Congress to limit inspections of gun dealers to once a year, even for those who are found to be in violation of the law.
* Oversight of gun dealers - The NRA has successfully lobbied Congress to limit inspections of gun dealers to once a year, even for those who are found to be in violation of the law.
The Bush Administration's policies, and Congress' willingness to bend to the will of the gun lobby has made it easier for terrorists to obtain weapons. In the aftermath of 9/11, the Justice Department decided to eliminate the rule requiring records of gun purchases be on file for 90 days. The new rule kept them on file for 24 hours. The Justice Department's decision, made in spite of the opposition of the FBI, made it impossible for intelligence officials to get information on any of the 19 hijackers. We knew their names, where they had traveled, lived, and how they tried to obtain driver's licenses. The one thing we couldn't find out was whether or not they or any of their friends had purchased weapons, because of the Bush Administration's commitment to the NRA and the terrorists' right to bear arms without interference from law enforcement.
Americans have made a lot of adjustments since 9/11 - dealing with delays and intrusions to make sure America is safe. The gun lobby should be willing to put up with a little inconvenience in order to be sure we know who is buying the guns that are available in the United States. It seems to be a small sacrifice to make to maintain America's safety.