Daily Archives: July 22, 2012

By DAVID ESPO and NANCY BENAC Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Gun control advocates sputter at their own impotence. The National Rifle Association is politically ascendant. And Barack Obama's White House pledges to safeguard the Second Amendment in its first official response to the deaths of at least 12 people in a mass shooting at a new Batman movie screening in suburban Denver.

Once, every highly publicized outbreak of gun violence produced strong calls from Democrats and a few Republicans for tougher controls on firearms.

Now those pleas are muted, a political paradox that's grown more pronounced in an era scarred by Columbine, Virginia Tech, the wounding of a congresswoman and now the shooting in a suburban movie theater where carnage is expected on-screen only.

"We don't want sympathy. We want action," Dan Gross, president of the Brady campaign said Friday as President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney mourned the dead.

Ed Rendell, the former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, was more emphatic than many in the early hours after the shooting. "Everyone is scared of the NRA," he said on MSNBC. "Number one, there are some things worth losing for in politics and to be able to prevent carnage like this is worth losing for."

Yet it's been more than a decade since gun control advocates had a realistic hope of getting the type of legislation they seek, despite predictions that each shocking outburst of violence would lead to action.

In 1994, Congress approved a 10-year ban on 19 types of military-style assault weapons. Some Democrats quickly came to believe the legislation contributed to their loss of the House a few months later.

Five years later, Vice President Al Gore cast a tie-breaking Senate vote on legislation to restrict sales at gun shows.

The two events turned out to be the high-water mark of recent Democratic drives to enact federal legislation aimed at reducing gun violence, and some Republicans said they could see the shift coming.

Here is the original post:
Calls for gun control stir little support

CHURCHTOWN The first annual Womens Concealed Carry Holster Fashion Show in Churchtown Saturday was a well-received celebration of the Second Amendment and a showcase for women who carry guns.

Around 250 people packed the Churchtown Firehouse to eat dinner, listen to speakers and watch about a dozen models walk up to a small stage in various clothing before revealing rubber guns they were concealing. Among the models was County Clerk Holly Tanner.

Trish Cutler, who works as the pistol permit clerk in the Columbia County Clerks Office, organized the sold-out event. Were here to educate women, she said, adding that she had at first wanted to simply start a group showing women how they could conceal handguns which grew into the event.

Cutler said she had to turn away more than 40 people before the day of the event, since there was no more room in the firehouse.

Among the speakers were a few contestants of the History Channel show Top Shot, including Frank Melloni from Suffolk County.

When I look around this room, Melloni said, I dont see criminals. I dont see drug dealers. I see responsible gun owners.

Another Top Shot contestant, Gabby Franco, a Venezuela native who also modeled Saturday, said she was introduced to shooting at age 11 by her father. Franco said its important for Americans to spread support for the Second Amendment, in part because she saw how quickly gun control laws came into effect in her country.

Believe me, she said, once its gone, you wont get it back ... I feel obligated to help protect a value that needs to be preserved.

Jackie Emslie, an NRA representative started her speech by saying, Good evening, brothers and sisters of the Second Amendment.

She stressed the importance of getting trained in firearms before carrying, getting a gun that feels right for each individual and practicing skills often. We ladies, we need to join with our brothers, Emslie said.

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Women’s gun show a big bang