Feinstein: NRA intimidation weakens weapons reform

[gthaustex]

Once again, Diane Feinstein is taking her fight to the road. This time in her hometown.

The National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers are to blame for the "disconnect" between the broad public support for gun control and the reluctance in Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said Wednesday.

Speaking to a hometown audience of about 500 people in San Francisco, the California Democrat said the NRA has intimidated senators with threats that the gun lobby would spend heavily to unseat them if they support the restrictions Feinstein championed in response to the December massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

"A fear has set in that if they vote for the bill they won't be re-elected. It's that plain, it's that simple," Feinstein said during an appearance before the Commonwealth Club. "My view is they shouldn't go up to the Senate if they are unwilling to stand up and vote."

It is probably easy for her to vote without fear, given the state of gun rights in many places in California. I normally argue that legislators were never supposed to be entrenched in Washington politics as a career and should leave after a short time and go back to their previous lives. In this case, the thought that they may get voted out seems to be what is keeping some in line to vote against more onerous gun control measures in violation of the 2nd Amendment. Them wanting badly to stay in Washington may be a good thing in this case.

Then again, I would also argue that they should just do the right thing, which is to vote for the Constitution, regardless of the outcome....

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 36d508c984

[RottenApple]

What she misses (either she purposely ignores it or she's stupid....maybe both) is that the NRA speaks for its members. And at a million+, that's a lot of voters. Idiot woman.

[RPBrown]

I keep hearing about this "broad public support for gun control". Now, maybe its the circles I run in or just the demographics where I live, but I do not know of a single person that is in favor of any gun control. So as is the norm with the anti's, they are making things up again.

[chasfm11]

I keep hearing about this "broad public support for gun control". Now, maybe its the circles I run in or just the demographics where I live, but I do not know of a single person that is in favor of any gun control. So as is the norm with the anti's, they are making things up again.

You just live in the wrong area.

http://milford.patch.com/articles/quinn ... s-84e6bed6

If you go to NJ, NY or CT, there is broad based support for gun control. Many of the our neighbors in NJ didn't think private citizens should be allowed to own any guns and that one never, ever should think about using a gun in self defense. That is why NJ has a "must retreat" provision. Many of our neighbors were former NYers and I know that some of people there are also very anti-gun.

Like the Brady group, their arguments are very emotional and don't rely on facts. Surprise, surprise.

[RPBrown]

I keep hearing about this "broad public support for gun control". Now, maybe its the circles I run in or just the demographics where I live, but I do not know of a single person that is in favor of any gun control. So as is the norm with the anti's, they are making things up again.

You just live in the wrong area.

http://milford.patch.com/articles/quinn ... s-84e6bed6

If you go to NJ, NY or CT, there is broad based support for gun control. Many of the our neighbors in NJ didn't think private citizens should be allowed to own any guns and that one never, ever should think about using a gun in self defense. That is why NJ has a "must retreat" provision. Many of our neighbors were former NYers and I know that some of people there are also very anti-gun.

Like the Brady group, their arguments are very emotional and don't rely on facts. Surprise, surprise.

Then I would think I live in the right area

[sjfcontrol]

Once again, Diane Feinstein is taking her fight to the road. This time in her hometown.

The National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers are to blame for the "disconnect" between the broad public support for gun control and the reluctance in Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said Wednesday.

Speaking to a hometown audience of about 500 people in San Francisco, the California Democrat said the NRA has intimidated senators with threats that the gun lobby would spend heavily to unseat them if they support the restrictions Feinstein championed in response to the December massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

"A fear has set in that if they vote for the bill they won't be re-elected. It's that plain, it's that simple," Feinstein said during an appearance before the Commonwealth Club. "My view is they shouldn't go up to the Senate if they are unwilling to stand up and vote."

It is probably easy for her to vote without fear, given the state of gun rights in many places in California. I normally argue that legislators were never supposed to be entrenched in Washington politics as a career and should leave after a short time and go back to their previous lives. In this case, the thought that they may get voted out seems to be what is keeping some in line to vote against more onerous gun control measures in violation of the 2nd Amendment. Them wanting badly to stay in Washington may be a good thing in this case.

Then again, I would also argue that they should just do the right thing, which is to vote for the Constitution, regardless of the outcome....

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 36d508c984

Sounds to me like the NRA and NSSF are doing a bang-up job!

[K.Mooneyham]

I keep hearing about this "broad public support for gun control". Now, maybe its the circles I run in or just the demographics where I live, but I do not know of a single person that is in favor of any gun control. So as is the norm with the anti's, they are making things up again.

You just live in the wrong area.

http://milford.patch.com/articles/quinn ... s-84e6bed6

If you go to NJ, NY or CT, there is broad based support for gun control. Many of the our neighbors in NJ didn't think private citizens should be allowed to own any guns and that one never, ever should think about using a gun in self defense. That is why NJ has a "must retreat" provision. Many of our neighbors were former NYers and I know that some of people there are also very anti-gun.

Like the Brady group, their arguments are very emotional and don't rely on facts. Surprise, surprise.

Then I would think I live in the right area

I've said before that I like living in Fort Worth just fine. Most people I know, not all of them being "firearms people" like us on this forum, think that the current laws should be enforced and that new laws will just be ignored by the criminals. The NRA, because of feedback from its membership, knows this too. And I'm proud to be a member and glad they are out there providing us a voice.

[Syntyr]

The National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers are to blame for the "disconnect" between the broad public support for gun control and the reluctance in Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said Wednesday.

Speaking to a hometown audience of about 500 people in San Francisco, the California Democrat said the NRA has intimidated senators with threats that the gun lobby would spend heavily to unseat them if they support the restrictions Feinstein championed in response to the December massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

No Feinswein... I AM TO BLAME! Blame Me! I am the NRA. I oppose further gun restrictions.

[anygunanywhere]

They think this is intimidation?

They have not yet seen intimidation.

Anygunanywhere

[bdickens]

Let's hope there is even more intimidation.

[Wes]

I don't believe it's the norm but too many are influenced by the media rhetoric. Even my step mother who has been around guns forever and has been hunting with my father and I believes the assault weapons ban is to get rid of automatic rifles. Just this past weekend it came up, quote "no one needs those guns that go 'boom, boom, boom, boom' so fast they can shoot up everyone". She certainly didnt understand or believe me when i explained these so called AW only account for a very small percentage of overall gun crime to begin with. Ignorance overwhelms the broad public and they really have no idea what they need or want, they just live in the sensationalist world the anti gun media bellows on a day to day basis. Feinstein preys on this to drive home her own agenda.

[bdickens]

It is the norm.

Most people make most of their decisions based on emotion rather than facts and logic. Some people make all of their decisions that way and all people make at least some of their decisions that way.

[snatchel]

LoL. Does she not see the irony in her statements?

-If a Senator signs off on a bill that intrudes on our 2nd Amendment, the NRA will push to unseat them.

... so if a Senator does something that is essentially unconstitutional, they are at risk for losing their seat. Sounds fair.

[Keith B]

Sounds to me like the NRA and NSSF are doing a bang-up job!

Yeah, who says your NRA membership and contributions to NRA-ILA ar going to waste?!

[rotor]

Feinstein has a problem with history. Feinstein's paternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Poland. My grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Poland too. Perhaps Ms. Feinstein doesn't remember ( or prefers not to remember) that all of her Jewish relatives that didn't make it out of Poland were killed by the Nazis in concentration camps. My relatives were all killed by those Nazis. Just think, a civilzed European society, highly educated, putting 6,000,000 people into the ovens- all of them unarmed and unable to protect themselves from the Nazis with their fine Schmissers and Lugers and whatever else they had. The purpose of the 2nd amendment is to protect us from government not to allow us to go hunting. It could never happen in a civilized society so it is said. We don't have to look back too far to prove that to be false. The president of Syria is a board certified American trained opthalmologist. He has also killed 60,000 of his own people. Our right to bear arms predates the constitution. When the government has all of the guns who knows what will happen. Look at all of the dead men, women and children in Waco. The original attack on this group was for firearm violations. So, it's possible that I am paranoid about mistrusting our government. It's possible that I am not paranoid. My distant relatives never believed that they could go from successful business people, scholars, physicians, etc. and end up in the ovens at a concentration camp. But they did. Ms. Feinstein I am sure had some also go to the ovens. Can't happen again? Governments kill their innocent civilians every day in every corner of the world. Forgive my rant. Support the NRA! They may be the only group that continues to support our constitution.