DEMS ISSUE FLURRY OF NEW GUN CONTROL BILLS
Timed with Obama's controversial visit to Oregon town hit by tragedy
October 8 2015
WND
Leo HohmannWND
"If school security guards pack heat, then shooters like the one in Roseburg, Oregon, could not wreak havoc on American school children", said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Democrats unleashed a flurry of new gun-control laws in Congress Thursday, and one senator from Connecticut accused Congress of being “an accomplice” in the recent spate of mass shootings at school campuses.
Senate Democrats fortified their efforts with a threat to block other legislation until their gun-control bills are brought to the floor.
And there are a lot of them.
According to Time magazine, the package features a version of an earlier proposal to expand background checks, but now also includes online gun purchases and firearms bought from unlicensed dealers at gun shows.
It also contains a bill announced by Connecticut’s senators last week that would bar gun sales until background checks are complete. Under current law, if a background check is not completed within 72 hours, the sale can be consummated.
Gun Owners of America, one of the nation’s largest gun-rights organizations, agrees, said Larry Pratt, executive director of the group, that something needs to be done to stop mass shootings.
“Congress must act,” he said in an email to WND. “Away with Gun-Free School Zones. Such zones have been the site of all but two of the mass murders in the U.S. since 1950. We join with our Dear Leader in calling for Congress to act.”
Any other type of action would be irresponsible, ineffective and mere pandering to the Democrat base, he said.
Unwelcome in Roseburg?
Meanwhile, it could be a chilly welcome for President Obama when he arrives Friday in Roseburg, Oregon, where many residents believe he is coming to their town solely to politicize the tragic shooting at their local community college.
David Jacques, publisher of the Roseburg Beacon, told Bill O’Reilly Monday the people of Roseburg would not welcome Obama if he came to town to politicize the funerals of the Umpqua College shooting victims.
Chris Harper-Mercer, the 24-year-old son of a white man and black woman who was born in Britain, gunned down eight students and a teacher last week.
Jacques said he is not the only one who is less than excited about the arrival of the president. Community leaders, including Douglas County commissioners, the police chief and local sheriff feel the same way, he said. They do not want Obama to grandstand in Roseburg for political gain on the issue of gun control.
In fact, several thousand people have signed up to attend a rally to protest Obama on Friday. The rally is being organized by a Facebook group called “Not Welcome: Defend Roseburg, Deny Barack Obama.”
According to Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice, the Umpqua College hero who helped stop the shooter is among those who does not want to see Obama. Chris Mintz, 30, was shot seven times after he jumped into action to save the lives of fellow classmates. He is recovering in a local hospital.
According to Boice:
"Congress has become an accomplice in these murders," Murphy said. "We are quietly endorsing this mass slaughter by refusing to act … I don’t care how many members of Congress send out tweets saying they're sorry. You aren’t sorry, you aren't truly sympathetic if you're not willing to act."
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sees it differently.
Paul argued against making schools gun-free zones, and said schools would fare better if they put stickers on their windows warning potential gunmen to proceed at their peril.
Paul spoke with Iowa radio host Jan Mickelson Tuesday and said it's "sad" how Obama has tried to make the Oregon shooting about guns.
He said the problem is mental illness and that "people are going to places where guns are prohibited."
Paul said it’s also quite possible that a falloff in basic morality is what's behind many of the shootings. He said America was lacking "a certain belief in right and wrong, a certain Christian foundation or religious foundation to our country."
As he has done after past mass shootings, immediately after Thursday's shooting, Obama called for "common sense" gun control measures. That did not resonate with some Roseburg-area residents.
Roseburg residents weigh in
"We do not want him to come, and the veterans don’t want him to come," Patti Sciapiti, who said her husband is involved with the American Legion in Roseburg, told the Register-Guard.
"I don’t want him here because I don’t think it was proper for him to talk about gun control when the tragedy was just happening," Sciapiti told the local newspaper from the parking lot at Mercy Medical Center. "He politicized it; he even said he politicized it. That's just not right. ... He's not welcome."
One man who said he is a military veteran and provided only his first name, Dave, said he doesn't plan to try to see Obama on the visit, calling him "a jerk."
"They have laws on the books now that cover gun control," he said. "They don’t need any more because they already have them. All they got to do is enforce them."
Roseburg is a conservative area more than 160 miles outside of Portland. In 2012, Douglas County residents favored GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney over Obama 61 percent to 34 percent.
The county has 25,751 registered Republican voters and 16,474 registered Democrats, according to the county elections office, the Register reported.
Obama plans to visit Roseburg on Friday during a four-day West Coast visit that had already been scheduled. He is not holding a public event, but rather plans to meet privately with the families of those killed, the White House said.
Roseburg resident Chanty Lytsell offered conditional support for Obama’s visit. Lytsell told the Register she doesn’t object to Obama coming to offer his support to grieving families. But if he is coming to start a political debate, she said, “Don’t bother."
"I can see that he’s coming here maybe because of the fact that he wants to be supportive of our city. But it doesn’t really feel that way,” Lytsell said. “I feel like it’s another political scheme for him. Our town has gone through a lot already, and I don’t think we need the president here for his support.
"We support each other as a community, and that’s what’s important in our community, and we need our time to grieve," she said. "We don't need to listen to what his views are on gun control. That is not what we need to talk about right now."
City releases statement in support of visit
While many residents, the county commissioners and sheriff are on record against the president's visit, the mayor and city council of Roseburg are throwing their arms wide open to embrace him.
"We wish to be clear that Mayor (Larry) Rich, City Council President (Tom) Ryan and the Roseburg City Council welcome the president to Roseburg and will extend him every courtesy," the city said in a statement.
Rod Cotton, a lifelong resident of Roseburg, has lived in the neighborhood directly across from the UCC campus for 25 years. He said he doesn’t mind if the president comes to visit but hopes Obama will narrow the focus of his visit.
"He is the president of the United States, and there are many of his policies that I don’t agree with, but he has every right to come,” Cotton, who describes himself as a political conservative, told the Register-Guard. "There's a lot of negative out there from folks who I don’t think really represent the community as a whole. I think he's sincere about coming to grieve with the folks."
Kimberly Roberts — who attends UCC but was not on campus when the shooting occurred — told the newspaper she believes the president committed a faux pas by politicizing the issue.
"He turned it into such a controversy, and that’s not very intelligent because this community is full of a lot of gun-carrying people," she said. "People are hunters. That’s how they survive. That’s how they live."
And there are a lot of them.
According to Time magazine, the package features a version of an earlier proposal to expand background checks, but now also includes online gun purchases and firearms bought from unlicensed dealers at gun shows.
It also contains a bill announced by Connecticut’s senators last week that would bar gun sales until background checks are complete. Under current law, if a background check is not completed within 72 hours, the sale can be consummated.
Gun Owners of America, one of the nation’s largest gun-rights organizations, agrees, said Larry Pratt, executive director of the group, that something needs to be done to stop mass shootings.
“Congress must act,” he said in an email to WND. “Away with Gun-Free School Zones. Such zones have been the site of all but two of the mass murders in the U.S. since 1950. We join with our Dear Leader in calling for Congress to act.”
Any other type of action would be irresponsible, ineffective and mere pandering to the Democrat base, he said.
Unwelcome in Roseburg?
Meanwhile, it could be a chilly welcome for President Obama when he arrives Friday in Roseburg, Oregon, where many residents believe he is coming to their town solely to politicize the tragic shooting at their local community college.
David Jacques, publisher of the Roseburg Beacon, told Bill O’Reilly Monday the people of Roseburg would not welcome Obama if he came to town to politicize the funerals of the Umpqua College shooting victims.
Chris Harper-Mercer, the 24-year-old son of a white man and black woman who was born in Britain, gunned down eight students and a teacher last week.
Jacques said he is not the only one who is less than excited about the arrival of the president. Community leaders, including Douglas County commissioners, the police chief and local sheriff feel the same way, he said. They do not want Obama to grandstand in Roseburg for political gain on the issue of gun control.
In fact, several thousand people have signed up to attend a rally to protest Obama on Friday. The rally is being organized by a Facebook group called “Not Welcome: Defend Roseburg, Deny Barack Obama.”
According to Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice, the Umpqua College hero who helped stop the shooter is among those who does not want to see Obama. Chris Mintz, 30, was shot seven times after he jumped into action to save the lives of fellow classmates. He is recovering in a local hospital.
According to Boice:
“I was fortunate enough to go in and visit with Chris Mintz and hear his story and what an amazing young man, just an extremely humble individual. And, when I mentioned to him that the president is coming he was not real excited about getting involved in the political part of this thing either, but humbled by the fact that the president of the United States would be interested in coming to visit him. … My understanding is he hasn’t spoken with anyone from the White House yet and he’s not really interested in doing that. I’m not sure where that stands as off this minute.”Democrat 'incensed' at lack of action on gun control. Sen Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was "incensed" at the press conference last week when he unveiled his legislation with fellow Connecticut Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, according to Time.
"Congress has become an accomplice in these murders," Murphy said. "We are quietly endorsing this mass slaughter by refusing to act … I don’t care how many members of Congress send out tweets saying they're sorry. You aren’t sorry, you aren't truly sympathetic if you're not willing to act."
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sees it differently.
Paul argued against making schools gun-free zones, and said schools would fare better if they put stickers on their windows warning potential gunmen to proceed at their peril.
Paul spoke with Iowa radio host Jan Mickelson Tuesday and said it's "sad" how Obama has tried to make the Oregon shooting about guns.
He said the problem is mental illness and that "people are going to places where guns are prohibited."
Paul said it’s also quite possible that a falloff in basic morality is what's behind many of the shootings. He said America was lacking "a certain belief in right and wrong, a certain Christian foundation or religious foundation to our country."
As he has done after past mass shootings, immediately after Thursday's shooting, Obama called for "common sense" gun control measures. That did not resonate with some Roseburg-area residents.
Roseburg residents weigh in
"We do not want him to come, and the veterans don’t want him to come," Patti Sciapiti, who said her husband is involved with the American Legion in Roseburg, told the Register-Guard.
"I don’t want him here because I don’t think it was proper for him to talk about gun control when the tragedy was just happening," Sciapiti told the local newspaper from the parking lot at Mercy Medical Center. "He politicized it; he even said he politicized it. That's just not right. ... He's not welcome."
One man who said he is a military veteran and provided only his first name, Dave, said he doesn't plan to try to see Obama on the visit, calling him "a jerk."
"They have laws on the books now that cover gun control," he said. "They don’t need any more because they already have them. All they got to do is enforce them."
Roseburg is a conservative area more than 160 miles outside of Portland. In 2012, Douglas County residents favored GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney over Obama 61 percent to 34 percent.
The county has 25,751 registered Republican voters and 16,474 registered Democrats, according to the county elections office, the Register reported.
Obama plans to visit Roseburg on Friday during a four-day West Coast visit that had already been scheduled. He is not holding a public event, but rather plans to meet privately with the families of those killed, the White House said.
Roseburg resident Chanty Lytsell offered conditional support for Obama’s visit. Lytsell told the Register she doesn’t object to Obama coming to offer his support to grieving families. But if he is coming to start a political debate, she said, “Don’t bother."
"I can see that he’s coming here maybe because of the fact that he wants to be supportive of our city. But it doesn’t really feel that way,” Lytsell said. “I feel like it’s another political scheme for him. Our town has gone through a lot already, and I don’t think we need the president here for his support.
"We support each other as a community, and that’s what’s important in our community, and we need our time to grieve," she said. "We don't need to listen to what his views are on gun control. That is not what we need to talk about right now."
City releases statement in support of visit
While many residents, the county commissioners and sheriff are on record against the president's visit, the mayor and city council of Roseburg are throwing their arms wide open to embrace him.
"We wish to be clear that Mayor (Larry) Rich, City Council President (Tom) Ryan and the Roseburg City Council welcome the president to Roseburg and will extend him every courtesy," the city said in a statement.
Rod Cotton, a lifelong resident of Roseburg, has lived in the neighborhood directly across from the UCC campus for 25 years. He said he doesn’t mind if the president comes to visit but hopes Obama will narrow the focus of his visit.
"He is the president of the United States, and there are many of his policies that I don’t agree with, but he has every right to come,” Cotton, who describes himself as a political conservative, told the Register-Guard. "There's a lot of negative out there from folks who I don’t think really represent the community as a whole. I think he's sincere about coming to grieve with the folks."
Kimberly Roberts — who attends UCC but was not on campus when the shooting occurred — told the newspaper she believes the president committed a faux pas by politicizing the issue.
"He turned it into such a controversy, and that’s not very intelligent because this community is full of a lot of gun-carrying people," she said. "People are hunters. That’s how they survive. That’s how they live."
http://www.wnd.com/2015/10/dems-issue-flurry-of-new-gun-control-bills/
No comments:
Post a Comment