US gun control measures face uncertain future

Deutsche Welle, 3 April 2013

Nearly four months after the Newtown school shooting, the US state of Connecticut has drafted strict new gun control measures. But in Congress, a group of Republican senators have vowed to block new national regulations.

The Connecticut General Assembly is set to vote on a new package of gun control measures on Wednesday, in response to the December 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, which took the lives of 20 young children and six teachers.

The measures extend the state's assault weapons ban to an additional 100 firearms, ban the sale of high-capacity magazines and would impose immediate universal background checks on all firearms sales.

In addition, anyone who wants to purchase a rifle, shotgun or ammunition would have to obtain a certificate by being fingerprinted and taking a firearms course among other requirements.

"This is a message that should resound in 49 other states and in Washington, D.C.," said Connecticut Senate President Donald E. Williams. "And the message is: We can get it done here and they should get it done in their respective states and nationally in Congress."

Filibuster threat

But whether or not Connecticut's message will make an impression on Washington remains to be seen. Unlike in Hartford, where both legislative chambers are controlled by Democrats, the US House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans.

And in the Democrat-majority US Senate, a group of five Republican senators have signed a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowing to filibuster "any legislation that would infringe on the American people's constitutional right to bear arms, or on their ability to exercise this right without being subjected to government surveillance."

Republican Senator Rand Paul has
threatened to filibuster gun control
legislation

The filibuster threat came after Reid had already decided to drop the assault weapons ban from any future bill. The Nevada Democrat said that "using the most optimistic numbers" the ban "has less than 40 votes." A measure needs 60 votes to end debate and bring it to a final vote.

"I think, as a practical matter, if this gun control package is going to go through the House, it's going to have a very commanding majority in the Senate anyway, so the filibuster is kind of a moot point," Kristin Goss, author of "Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control," told DW.

The assault weapons ban, proposed by Senator Diane Feinstein, also included a ban on magazines containing more than 10 rounds. Although those measures will not be included in a bill, they can still be voted on separately as amendments.

Focus on background checks

According to Goss, the marginalization of the assault weapons ban in the Senate was expected and does not signal a collapse of broader gun control legislation.

"I think you can argue that if it had been part of a core bill, that would have been very bad for the whole bill, because it would've been a deal breaker for a number of senators, who might be inclined to vote for background checks," said Goss, a professor of political science at Duke University.

But so far, bi-partisan negotiations to expand background checks on gun purchases have not produced a deal. While federally licensed gun dealers are currently required to conduct the checks, transactions between private individuals are not covered.

The negotiations to expand background checks, led by Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer and Republican Senator Tom Coburn, have faltered over Coburn's opposition to records being kept on transactions between private individuals.

NRA lobbying campaign

Meanwhile, the NRA is kicking its lobbying campaign into high gear, seeking to quash virtually any legislative initiative to impose tougher firearms restrictions.

"The NRA is going to be pushing a series of amendments - and they already are - to water down the existing legislation so that even if it's enacted, it's not really going to have any effect," Robert J. Spitzer, author of "The Politics of Gun Control," told DW.

Reid has effectively declared an
assault weapons ban dead

According to the Washington Post, the NRA has proposed language that would effectively neutralize a provision to make straw purchasing a federal crime. Straw purchasing occurs when an individual buys a gun and passes it on to someone who cannot legally purchase a firearm.

The NRA language would require law enforcement to prove that the straw purchaser knew the end recipient was barred from possessing a gun or intended to commit a crime.

"That's a virtually impossible legal standard to meet," said Spitzer, a professor of political science at the State University of New York College at Cortland. "The bill says you can pursue prosecutions, but if there's a provision in there that sets the legal bar for prosecution so high, it's going to have virtually no effect."

Legislative push in the states

With gun control measures in limbo in Congress, many states are taking the initiative and passing their own legislation. While Colorado and New York have passed new gun restrictions, many states are passing pro-gun laws.

According to a recent report by the Hartford Courant, 17 states and Washington D.C. are considering gun control legislation, while 26 states are seeking to liberalize gun laws.

The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, meanwhile, has reported that more than 600 bills have been introduced to strengthen gun control, while about 540 bills are being considered to expand gun rights.

"There were a lot of pro-gun bills that had been in preparation before Sandy Hook, and those are moving," Goss said. "Although I must say, the pro-gun bills by and large are fairly narrow and fairly technical. They're not major pieces of legislation, whereas the pro-control stuff - that will soon happen in Connecticut probably and has happened in New York and Colorado - are major reform packages."

Although recent polling by the Washington Post and ABC has indicated that nine in 10 Americans support universal background checks on gun purchases, Spitzer believes that clock is running out on gun control legislation.

"We are more than three months since the Newtown shooting, and the tide has begun to turn," Spitzer said. "I think the window is starting to close on these measures."

But he also acknowledged that a reform package still has a chance, pointing to the successful passage of the assault weapons ban in 1994, which expired under President George W. Bush.

"It was declared legislatively dead a couple of times, and normally when that happens it really is the end, but they managed to bring it back and ultimately get approval," Spitzer said. "That could happen here too, but it's getting tougher and tougher with each day that goes by."

Related Article:

Connecticut to sign gun controls after Newtown massacre - New

Connecticut backs gun controls after Newtown massacre

Shot ex-congresswoman Giffords takes on US gun lobby


An Hour with an Angel with Archangel Michael, December 17, 2012

”.. Lay Down Your Arms

SB: Thank you, Lord. I am going to be asking you about the who, why, what, where, when, how of Ascension, about December 21st. But before I do that there is one question that I have to ask you because I know our listeners and readers want me to. I think they would like to know something about the Newtown tragedy. Was it mind control? Was it the cabal trying to take attention away from Ascension? Was it simply a deranged individual?

Why was it permitted to happen, Lord? It shocked a lot of people.

AAM: It was a tragedy in Newtown, and it was a sacrifice of innocents, both children and adults. And yes, there is divine purpose that comes out of this. Was it a planned action on our part? Absolutely not, that is not the way we operate. It was the action, yes, of a very deranged, ill, dis-eased individual. It was not the act of the cabal. They are in far too deep containment to ever effect such a strike.

Let us talk about the meaning. And the Mother has talked about this also. It is time for all of humanity, east, west, north, south, to come together as one community. And this atrocity, this killing of children needlessly, brings to the forefront what is taking place on your planet.

The beings of Newtown, Connecticut, and this emotional energy, have acted and do act as a surrogate and a catalyst for the human race to come together and say, “No more,” that the slaughter of innocents is not acceptable in any realm.

And what that means, dear ones, is it is not acceptable through missile or drone strikes, in neighborhoods, in marketplaces and schools, or anywhere else. It is not acceptable for children to be hit by stray bullets, by gang wars or by drug lords, in any country, in any nation, in any civilization. It is not acceptable for children to die of disease, poverty, hunger, and starvation.

So these bright angels, this soul group has sacrificed and acted as a surrogate. Now, I wish to tell you that all of these angels were well out of their body and already in the arms of the Mother prior to their death. She had already gathered them up.

So it is not just for them that you weep. It is for each other. Because what you are seeing, what you are witnessing, is the pain and suffering that violence does to humanity, to families, to friends, to siblings, to parents, to communities, to neighbors, to nations. And it is all of you saying, “No more!”

SB: If I may intervene, what do you say to people who advocate the right to bear arms in America? What does one say to organizations that think that they’ll fall under somebody else’s rule if they give up their rifles?

AAM: Let me say this, and I do not simply say it to Americans, I say it to all nations that carry weapons to destroy families and friends. I say it to all beings that carry guns or weapons. And I am talking about missiles or chemical weapons.

When you live in fear, then what you create is fear. When you live in harmony and community and unity, that is what you create. Understand, the opening of 11/11 and 12/12 was not simply some esoteric exercise. You have been unified.

And as I have asked you, and as most of you are doing, that grid is to grow and inflame and ignite more and more every single hour, every single minute of every day. It was not just an hour-long exercise or a day-long exercise.

How can you live in unity and love and carry weapons, guns, ready to kill someone you don’t like or you don’t care about? And it is particularly dangerous when you have those weapons available to those who are unbalanced.

And we suggest to you that there is no way to safeguard against someone who is in the throes of a psychotic episode. There is no way to prevent them from getting a weapon if in fact they are available. That is a fool’s belief.

So if you expect harm to come to you, then harm will come to you. It is a time of change, and you cannot build Nova Earth with guns, missiles, and chemical weapons. You cannot do it. It is not possible. Not in any universe, not in any realm.

I had thought, this day, that I would come before you with my blue flame of truth. And I would say to you, “I am laying down my sword and shield,” because that is my desire and creation, and that it would be symbolic for you to understand that these are no longer necessary.

I did not begin today by saying that because I am still using my sword to cut some cords of illusion with some of you, and some of you are feeling exceptionally vulnerable right now. And so I want you to know that I’m also shielding you.

But my sword is also the scepter of truth. It is the staff of wisdom. It is the staff that you can lean upon when you are exhausted. Your guns do not serve that purpose.

Lay down your arms. This I ask of you. And more importantly, lay down your fear.

SB: Thank you, Lord. I don’t mean to single out Americans. I’m more referring to the Constitution and the provision that the right to bear arms shall not be interfered with. But thank you. You anticipated my questions on Newtown, so I’ve had all my questions answered. 

"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)