H.R. 6257: Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008

H.R. 6257: Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008

Sponsor:
Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL]

Co-Sponsor:
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]
Rep. Michael Ferguson [R-NJ]
Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT]
Rep. Michael Castle [R-DE]

What's wrong with this picture?

Republicans sponsoring a draconian gun bill?

Crazy like a fox.

Consider. An historic gun ruling from the SCOTUS on Thursday 26 June 2008 virtually assures that serious challenges to the 2nd amendment are going to be difficult. After all how can a hand gun not be considered an assault weapon since it's designed to kill people, reasoning not withstanding.

Consider. People never pay attention to who sponsors bills.

Consider. The republicans are on the way out. This has been obvious since W got re-elected to anyone with political acumen.

Consider. An extremely common justification given by semi-rational republicans for voting for a fossil and a dimwit. "Obama gonna take my gun!"

Consider. Most voters are one issue voters by necessity given the structure of representative democracy in general. Gun rights are right up there with abortion in this respect.

Consider. Politics doesn't exactly reward the honest.

Consider. Many pro-gun anti-republican types, like myself voted Obama secure in the knowledge that the democrats are not stupid enough to take on an issue as thorny and contentious as gun rights when there is obviously so much more pressing and time critical business. Because they know they'd lose precious time.

My conclusion.

The republicans introduced a nightmarish gun bill they would never actually stand for as a strategic maneuver. The goal being to make the simple associate Obama with draconian gun control so that right wing pundits all over the country can score a huge "see I told you so" and gum up the works enough that the problems stemming from the last 8 years of psychotic republican rule can be blamed on Obama, thus assuring a right wing victory in 2012 as chief among a whole slew of tactical gains.

The best way to defeat this madness would be to alert top democrats, or Obama himself, to this ploy.

Self interest is the greatest motivator.