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September 13, 2004
The failure of President Bush and his congressional allies to extend the widely supported ban on assault weapons represents the willingness of conservatives to sacrifice public safety for political gain. No reasonable person can argue that easy access to AK-47's, Uzi's, and TEC-9's is protected by the 2nd Amendment. The only explanation: the NRA owns the GOP and President Bush lacks the necessary leadership capacity to do what is right for public safety.
- Military-style assault weapons have no place on our streets. As the Violence Policy Center reports, one in five cop killings are done with assault weapons. The return of these weapons will only mean more mass slayings and harm to police officers. Just last week, police chiefs from Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle and other cities demanded President Bush and Congress reauthorize the ban because of the acute threat to law enforcement officials.
- Protecting the 2nd Amendment is not about making it easier for terrorists and criminals to kill. No self-respecting sportsman hunts deer with an Uzi. These weapons exist solely for the quick and easy killing of humans in combat – the kind of weapons favored by terrorists and criminals everywhere. An al Qaeda training manual recovered in Afghanistan specifically urges terrorists to buy weapons like AK-47's in America.
- President Bush puts the interests of the right-wing gun lobby over public safety. Then-Governor Bush stated in the 1999 that "it makes no sense for assault weapons to be around our society." Yet, over the last four years President Bush has never once stood up for public safety over the desires of the gun lobby. The president talks a big game about keeping Americans safe, but has shown a complete lack of leadership on this core public safety issue.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.
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Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
