Go on the offensive
Howard Nemerov points out that gun rights folks have won the battle but not the war:
Okay, so we had a good election cycle for the pro-liberty movement. I hope it gave you a reason for a celebratory mood at Thanksgiving.
Wait. Republicans are pro-liberty?
Now it’s time to get back to work. The people who fought so hard against your Second Amendment rights are still in Congress.
Yes, they are. This is, in my opinion, the most pro-gun the country has been in a while. Concealed carry laws are the rule, not the exception. The Assault Weapons Ban is gone. We’re winning. Now, gun rights folks should go on offense. Instead of fighting new gun control laws as they pop up, I think gun owners should launch an offensive for laws they want (federal concealed carry) or repealing laws that need to be repealed. Why the gun lobby wants to waste its time on this gun industry lawsuit bill is beyond me. These lawsuits go (in every case but one) in favor of the gun industry. The industry needs to go on the offensive as well and counter sue these bozos. A couple of activists suddenly in the poor house sends the message.
I’ll throw one out there: Let’s work to repeal the Hughes Amendment, which states that after May 1986 no new machine guns may be transferred to civilians. It’s the real assault weapons ban. I don’t think it will happen but it’d be nice if the gun lobby stood up for gun rights and not just manufacturers.
December 13th, 2004 at 1:38 pm
Many of the suits are funded by taxes, and the counter-suits would be against government entities. Such suits can be dismissed out of hand. So the lawsuits are more important than we think. They also, by framing the debate the way they do, misinform the public.
Other than that, I like your ideas here.
Yours,
Wince
December 13th, 2004 at 8:06 pm
Relatively speaking, sure.