Pelosi on the Assault Weapons Ban
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tossed cold water on the prospect of reinstating the assault weapons ban, highlighting Democrats’ reluctance to take on gun issues.
Attorney General Eric Holder raised the prospect Wednesday that the administration would push to bring back the ban. But Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated on Thursday that he never talked to her. The Speaker gave a flat “no” when asked if she had talked to administration officials about the ban.
“On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. “I think it’s clear the Bush administration didn’t do that.”
Outside of the dig at the recent Republican president, that phrase is the stock line of those who don’t want to pass new gun control laws, such as the National Rifle Association.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Bait and switch – delay until they get “the votes” that the Porkulus can buy for them.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I guess she doesn’t want to be the EX-Speaker and have to give up all those perks like the AF jet, limos, etc.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I’m supposed to believe Pelosi now?
February 26th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
False flag – look at what she actually said. She is just posturing because the White House did not clear Holder’s comments with her.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Doesn’t matter what she spews, Holder just sold another 250,000 military pattern weapons.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
They’ll try something sooner, rather than later. Most likely it will be a done deal before you hear about it. If they legislate some people out of business, well, that’s egregiously fucking with people. No telling what could happen.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
No one is suggesting anyone trust Nancy Pelosi. But her statement means something. It could mean:
1. She does not have the votes for an AWB, and knows it.
2. She might have the votes, but doesn’t want to put her blue dogs at risk by bringing a ban to the floor.
3. She’d love to bring a ban to the floor, has the votes, but has too much on the agenda right now to deal with it.
This does not require trusting Pelosi. We all know if the politics worked out for her, she’d bring a new ban to the floor in a heartbeat. But this might buy us time until 2010. If we don’t see a new AWB before then, we have to get active like the Second Amendment depends on it, because to be honest, it probably does.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I suppose they’re waiting for one of their mind-control, drugged zombies to do a mass-murder with a semi-auto rifle in a gun-free zone. The use the controlled mass-media emotional promotion for maximum effect for more gun control…an AWB.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
When the elected representatives of the people spew foolish statements it is incumbent upon reporters to ask simple followup questions. A lie left standing is a lie that lives on.
“Outside of the dig at the recent Republican president…”
I am left wondering what was going through Speaker Pelosi’s mind when she stated that the Bush administration did not enforce gun laws. A follow-up question requesting specific laws that the Bush administration did not enforce, or even any event which demonstrated the Bush administration did not enforce any gun law, would have been very interesting for the reader and, I suppose, embarassing for the Speaker. I think whe would have been stumped to answer such a query. I know I am.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Personally, I think Pelosi is just pissed off that Obama didn’t make his Justice lackey check in with her highness before he opened his piehole and laid some cards out that she did not want laid out right now.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
“most transparent congress”
“if it takes a woman to clean up the house”
“end the culture of corruption”
that’s 3 for 3.
She WILL be pushing it, or more likely burying it in some of the endless pork bills or tacking it on in that “and for other reasons” crap they pull on us.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Maybe she knows that the ban will be put into effect using a Treaty such as the UN Small Arms Treaty and therefore would not require the house to vote at all. I believe a treaty only has to pass the Senate and be signed by the president to become enforceable. The added benefit of a treaty is it bypasses the courts and nullifies any effect the Heller decision may have had.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
According to http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Treaties.htm a treaty requires a 2/3 vote in the senate to be ratified.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
isn’t that 2/3 present?
Then of course, there’s this:
February 26th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
No treaty overrides the US Constitution. Heller and the court would still be involved. Alan Gura spoke at our school recently, he said an AWB doesn’t stand a chance after Heller.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I hope Mr. Gura is correct. On the other hand, Heller was a 5-4 decision.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Yeah – he also said he sees shall issue laws in every state coming. So he might be kinda biased 🙂
February 26th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
It’s a trick. Get an axe.
February 28th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
She is simply doing this to divert attention from the Chief Law Enforcement Officer’s posturing to creat laws. OTherwise Everyone with any brains, understanding where we are headed – would go out and buy several “assault” weapons. BTW, these are not to “assault” anyone. They are defensive in this day and age.