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Neal Knox Report |
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June 17 Neal Knox Update -- Unless he has changed his mind over the
weekend, Sen. John McCain plans to force a vote on his and Sen.
Lieberman's "compromise" gun show bill, S. 890, in the next
couple of weeks -- before the 4th of July recess.
Please
call your Senators' state or D.C.
office.
 ACTION
!
President Bush's Department of Homeland
Security bill may slow down S. 890 because it's on the Congressional
front burner. Sen. Lieberman has called hearings on DHS Thursday
in his Governmental Affairs Committee.
The bill creating and funding the new
department has triggered so many turf battles that, despite all the
talk about speed and cooperation, it's unlikely to come to a vote
soon.
Since McCain is already claiming his
gun show bill would help control terrorists, he would undoubtedly like
to amend the bill with S. 890, but he wants a vote on his bill now.
So does the "Brady Campaign" and
McCain's benefactor Andrew McKelvey,
the "American for Gun Safety" who has been running ads in
Capitol Hill publications touting the gun show bill as
"anti-terrorism" legislation.
The Senate floor schedule doesn't appear to
include anything that McCain could attach his bill to, but he's
pushing.
Of course, the Democrats -- except for those
in safe areas like Charles Schumer -- don't want any gun votes before
the election.
According to MSNBC, the Bush Administration
opposes the bill and practically dares the Democrats to make it an
issue this fall.
"Most of the key Senate races are in
rural states: South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri," MSNBC quoted one
White House strategist. "You think the Democrats will want to
make a big deal of the gun-show loophole in, say, Georgia (where
anti-gun Sen. Max Cleland faces "A+"-rated Rep. Saxby
Chambliss)?"
The Supreme Court turned down requests to
hear two Second Amendment cases last Monday, which was no real
surprise. The Court rarely hears any case that hasn't gone to
trial -- and the pivotal Emerson case has not.
Solicitor General Ted Olson (whose job is to
defend U.S. laws) asked the Supreme Court not to hear either Emerson
or a machine gun possession case, but last month inserted a footnote
in each formally advising the court that the Justice Department
considered the Second Amendment to protect an individual right.
That sent the gun-hating crowd into hysterics.
But the gun-haters were thrilled when
Attorney General Ashcroft allowed the U.S. Attorney for Washington to
take the opposite view in illegal carrying prosecutions. Their
attorneys raised DOJ's new position, causing the U.S. Attorney
to cite a 1987 D.C. Court of Appeals decision that the Second
Amendment "is not a right conferred upon the people..."
As Cato Institute's Gene Healy has written,
it's tempting to say Ashcroft just tells NRA what they want to hear
while letting his department continue to enforce unconstitutional gun
laws. But by addressing the 1987 decision the U.S. Attorney,
whatever the motive, has set the stage for a head-on Second Amendment
challenge to D.C.'s virtual handgun prohibition.
I got the Hard Corps Report newsletter to the
printer Saturday, and came down to Texas for my Dad's 90th birthday,
my mother's 88th, and their wedding anniversary -- and some
politicking.
Friday, June 21, I'll be with Congressman
Jeff Sessions at a Temple, Texas fundraiser for Ramsey Farley, who is
again challenging Rep. Chet Edwards. This time he should have a
better shot for one of "Cheet" Edwards' constituents has a
ranch nears Crawfordsville. Fellow named George W. Bush who
hopefully will do a bit to elect a Congressman more to his liking.
Using the Oct. 1991 Luby's Cafeteria massacre
the day before as his excuse, Edwards switched his vote to oppose Rep.
Harold Volkmer's amendment to kill an "assault weapon" ban.
I've been down here campaigning for his opponent in every election
since.
I've invited Texas Rep. Suzanna
Gratia Hupp to the Farley fundraiser, but that's not yet
confirmed. Suzy is well along with her third young'un.
If you're in the Central Texas area, and want
to strengthen the Congress, come on over. Ramsey told me
Thursday that you're invited whether or not you can handle the
requested $50 contribution. For details of when and where, call
254-899-0678.
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