Mary Lou Seymour is a long-time libertarian activist and author. She lives in South Carolina. CLICK HERE FOR RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST SUPPORT OUR
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Producer Ed Gernon |
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of the Week Title XI of the Federal Violent Crime Control Act of 1994 banned the manufacture and import of a certain class of military-style semi-automatic rifles, dubbed "assault weapons" by bill supporters, while limiting magazine capacity to just 10 rounds.These firearms were categorized as such by certain identifying features, namely cosmetic and ergonomic features that present a military-like appearance, but have absolutely no effect on lethality. To gain support at the time, the bill's supporters inserted a 10 year "sunset provision," and the provisions of this Act are set to expire in Sept. 2004, weeks before the general election.
And then, on April 11, a story, "Bush backs renewing ban on assault weapons" with the White House spokesman quoted as saying: "The president supports the current law, and he supports reauthorization of the current law," hit the newswires around the country. Reaction throughout the gun community, especially among those who had supported Bush, was stunned and immediate. ("Upset gun owners set to dump Bush; " "Gun supporters baffled by Bush stance.") GOA said "The White House's statement means that people will not be able to rely upon a presidential veto if Congress musters enough votes to extend the ban in the near future. Despite the fact that both the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans, the majority of Congressmen are either fence-sitters or anti-gun." GOA is urging gun owners to "write the President and urge him to remain true to his constitutional oath of office." (presumably referring to the AW Ban being an unconstitutional infringement of the 2nd Amendment, rather than backing down on a pre-election political stance.) Bush supporters who found that their supposedly "pro-2nd" President may have feet of clay came up with excuses such as "Is he gambling that it won't pass the senate and the house? This way he can maybe win some friends on the inner fringes of the other side?" "Bush could be privately hoping that the Congress does not present him with a bill renewing the ban, and at the same time try to defuse the gun control crowd by appearing to support a renewal of the ban. " and "The assault weapon ban is small potatoes compared with the major advances of concealed carry and will-issue in the various states." (Copied verbatim but without attribution from various gun owners' email lists) I myself have not voted for a representative of either the right or left wings of the Boot on Your Neck Party for 25 years, so, I admit, I wasn't surprised at all. BOYN Party politicians say anything to get elected, once elected, they do what they please. Nothing new there. It is kind of startling that Bush would come out with a statement of support on the AW Ban right now, when the "sunset" provisions still have a year and a half to go, but with public attention safely directed towards the "liberation" of Iraq, and Bush's popularity polling at a high point, this would be a politically expedient time to test the waters and see just how much his supporters will "swallow." (Well, hey, they're swallowing curtailment of civil liberties, free speech and privacy in the name of "homeland security," let's see what inroads can be made in gun rights.) A poll at the KeepAndBearArms.Com web site asks if respondents would continue to support Bush if he renewed a ban on so-called "assault weapons," initially passed in 1994. As of 4/19, out of 8378 voters, about 8 percent said they'd still support Bush if he aids in reauthorizing the legislation, with AN ASTOUNDING 3% ADDING "Yes, I would still vote for him, even after he proves that he's a traitor." Hmmm, interesting. For this week's action, those who are interested in "political activism" may wish join in with other gun owners and see if pressure can force Bush to retract his statement. After all, he does have some "wiggle room;" the statement came from a "White House spokesperson." And perhaps an outpouring of "shock and disgust" from the gun community will pressure a retraction (or correction, as in "I didn't really mean to imply that ..."). Certainly anything that slows down the mindless march toward a police state is a worthwhile activity, as it gives us more time to work on building a culture of freedom and opposition to tyranny in its many forms. GOA believes Bush's stated support for the AW Ban may be "just a trial balloon," and urges gun owners to "shoot it down" in a hurry. For a pre-written letter, see GOA's Action Page. Also check the AW Ban Sunset website for a selection of sample letters to send to your Congresscritters. And certainly LTEs on the subject of "political betrayal" wouldn't hurt, for those who believe that a "good politician" is one who "stays bought." This is also an excellent opportunity for those on the list who are interested in helping people learn to think for themselves and not be taken in by empty promises on Election Day. LTEs on this subject would be extremely appropriate. Writing this column, I try to find a new way each week to promote a change in our culture to one which values freedom, as I believe that only if we succeed in changing the culture will we ever either elect "leaders" who will truly promote a free society, or, will learn to do without leaders and govern ourselves. It seems almost too obvious to mention, but in order to be able to successfully have AND hold a free society, the individals in that society need to be capable of analytical thought, which is the basis for successful independent action. Current events which provide "evidence" that all may not be as it seems on the surface are useful teaching tools for learning analytical thinking (or at least showing the value of it.) This week's action provides that type of opportunity. The readers of this column, presumably, support the idea of taking individual actions to promote cultural change, and, from the e-mails I receive, most follow through and "educate, agitate and organize." But there are many in the "freedom movement" who are what my friend Claire Wolfe calls "freedom readers" ... they read a lot of articles each week, but do nothing else. Not all of us can be on the front lines, resisting tyranny by refusing to pay taxes, committing civil disobedience against unjust laws, etc. Not all of us can write stirring "call to arms" articles, or intellectual articles exploring various theories of liberty and individualism. But ALL of us can be what I call "freedom teachers." We can print out the articles we read and hand them out to friends and neighbors, we can actively support even unpopular ideas that promote freedom in our daily lives. So, for this week's action, along with sending off some letters to congresscritters and Prez Double Talk Dubya, and firing off a couple of LTEs on "political duplicity," let's print off some of the articles we read in Rational Review, Doing Freedom!, Strike the Root, and our other "favorite sites" and give them to our co-workers, friends and family. And, while you're at it, drop an e-mail and, if possible, a small donation to the authors of the articles you read this week, so they'll keep writing, and keep giving us ammo to use in our efforts to bring liberty in our lifetime. Til next week Mary Lou PS: In last week's LAotW, I mentioned the firing of "Hitler" Producer Ed Gernon by CBS for telling TV Guide that a May launch date was perfect for the upcoming four-hour miniseries "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" since the climate in Germany during Hitler's rise to power mirrored the current prevailing attitude in the United States regarding the Iraq war. Send your protest of Gernon's firing to Janice.Lee@allianceatlantis.com. |
