abrahamsmith
New member
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,24665,00.html
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Bush Wants to Reduce Gun Violence
Monday, May 14, 2001
WASHINGTON - President Bush, stepping back
into the gun-control debate, is renewing his
pledge to help communities and states combat gun
violence.
Bush was visiting Philadelphia on Monday to highlight
his efforts to catch gun offenders. Bush has advocated ``vigorously''
enforcing laws involving gun crimes and said it should be a priority to keep
juveniles from obtaining guns.
Underscoring the contentiousness of the issue, a gun-control advocacy
group was airing ads urging him to support mandatory background
checks for customers at gun shows.
``Felons in 32 states can get guns at gun shows with no questions asked,
and resell them on our streets,'' the radio spot says. ``That's why we need
a national law requiring background checks at all gun shows.''
The 60-second ad was being run in Philadelphia
Monday by Americans for Gun Safety of Rosslyn, Va.,
founded by Andrew McKelvey, the creator of the
Monster.com online job referral service.
The group's mission statement says it ``supports the
rights of individuals who own firearms and seeks
stronger new laws and tougher enforcement of current
laws to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and
kids, and to make guns safer in the home.''
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., has proposed requiring a
three-day waiting period on gun show purchases, and
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph Lieberman,
D-Conn., plan to introduce similar legislation.
Bush said during the presidential campaign that he
supported closing gun show loopholes.
With Monday's trip to Philadelphia, the president was returning to an
issue that was a thorny one for him during last year's campaign.
Democratic rival Al Gore appealed to urban and suburban voters by
painting Bush as pro-gun. Bush, then the governor of Texas, appealed to
his rural base by defending firearm owners' rights.
Bush's proposed 2002 budget includes $49.8 million for states to establish
programs for increasing arrests and prosecution of gun offenders.
The budget also contains $75 million in federal matching funds for
ChildSafe, which provides law enforcement agencies with kits containing
trigger locks and lessons on safe gun storage.
An additional $20 million would provide grants to support state-level
prosecutions of gun offenders and establish ``safe school'' task forces
involving local police and schools.
The Justice Department's budget request also includes $9 million for a
federal-state partnership to prosecute juvenile gun offenders and crack
down on illegal gun traffickers selling to children. It creates 94 new
positions in U.S. attorneys' offices for a partnership to identify and
prosecute juvenile offenders and those who supply guns to them.
Also Monday, Bush was meeting with Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of
the city's archdiocese.
Monday's trip was his third to Pennsylvania, a swing state that went
narrowly to Gore in November. He travels to the state again on Friday to
promote his national energy strategy.
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my thoughts?
Well, I'm very unhappy about his comments about the "gunshow loophole".... yesterday I was waving around a placard that said "The 2nd Amendment is NOT a loophole!" At least I can (sorta) take heart knowing that it would be MUCH MUCH worse if Gore were there....
grrrr....
--------------------
Bush Wants to Reduce Gun Violence
Monday, May 14, 2001
WASHINGTON - President Bush, stepping back
into the gun-control debate, is renewing his
pledge to help communities and states combat gun
violence.
Bush was visiting Philadelphia on Monday to highlight
his efforts to catch gun offenders. Bush has advocated ``vigorously''
enforcing laws involving gun crimes and said it should be a priority to keep
juveniles from obtaining guns.
Underscoring the contentiousness of the issue, a gun-control advocacy
group was airing ads urging him to support mandatory background
checks for customers at gun shows.
``Felons in 32 states can get guns at gun shows with no questions asked,
and resell them on our streets,'' the radio spot says. ``That's why we need
a national law requiring background checks at all gun shows.''
The 60-second ad was being run in Philadelphia
Monday by Americans for Gun Safety of Rosslyn, Va.,
founded by Andrew McKelvey, the creator of the
Monster.com online job referral service.
The group's mission statement says it ``supports the
rights of individuals who own firearms and seeks
stronger new laws and tougher enforcement of current
laws to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and
kids, and to make guns safer in the home.''
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., has proposed requiring a
three-day waiting period on gun show purchases, and
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph Lieberman,
D-Conn., plan to introduce similar legislation.
Bush said during the presidential campaign that he
supported closing gun show loopholes.
With Monday's trip to Philadelphia, the president was returning to an
issue that was a thorny one for him during last year's campaign.
Democratic rival Al Gore appealed to urban and suburban voters by
painting Bush as pro-gun. Bush, then the governor of Texas, appealed to
his rural base by defending firearm owners' rights.
Bush's proposed 2002 budget includes $49.8 million for states to establish
programs for increasing arrests and prosecution of gun offenders.
The budget also contains $75 million in federal matching funds for
ChildSafe, which provides law enforcement agencies with kits containing
trigger locks and lessons on safe gun storage.
An additional $20 million would provide grants to support state-level
prosecutions of gun offenders and establish ``safe school'' task forces
involving local police and schools.
The Justice Department's budget request also includes $9 million for a
federal-state partnership to prosecute juvenile gun offenders and crack
down on illegal gun traffickers selling to children. It creates 94 new
positions in U.S. attorneys' offices for a partnership to identify and
prosecute juvenile offenders and those who supply guns to them.
Also Monday, Bush was meeting with Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of
the city's archdiocese.
Monday's trip was his third to Pennsylvania, a swing state that went
narrowly to Gore in November. He travels to the state again on Friday to
promote his national energy strategy.
----------
my thoughts?
Well, I'm very unhappy about his comments about the "gunshow loophole".... yesterday I was waving around a placard that said "The 2nd Amendment is NOT a loophole!" At least I can (sorta) take heart knowing that it would be MUCH MUCH worse if Gore were there....
grrrr....