via e-mail, thanks John W.

Tough on terrorism?

Disarming Iraqi insurgents has taken precedence over American criminals

September 19, 2004

RHONDA CHRISS LOKEMAN

Think ole' Rhonda needs rehab, or to come down out of her hysterical ivory tower. Yet another typical KC Star rant---The Webmistress
"In 2002, 34 of the 51 officers killed in the line of duty by a firearm were wearing body armor at the time of their deaths.''

- from the FBI's uniform crime report

Now we know what the "W'' stands for. It's short for "What? Me Worry?''

By letting the 10-year ban on assault weapons expire last week, George W. Bush dealt a fatal blow to law enforcers. He told local police, county sheriffs, state highway patrolmen and officers at the U.S. departments of Interior, Justice and Treasury to "Fuggetaboutit!''

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are more interested in disarming Iraqi insurgents than disarming criminals in America.

There's no way Bush can honestly justify his passive-aggressive disregard for our domestic security and police officers' lives. So he's just pretending that nothing happened.

Oh, but something did happen. Something we should lose sleep over.

Easier access to firearms of mass destruction during a war on terror is not in the national interest. It reflects a crisis of leadership.

Shame on the Republican-led Congress, which failed to extend and improve the 1994 ban. Shame on Bush, whose inaction was a reckless act. It was anti-police, anti-victim and pro-crime.

When he should have led, Bush followed. He followed the black hats, the National Rifle Association. He ignored the white hats, the coalition of police and sheriffs in 35 states who wanted the ban kept as did the National Association of Police Organizations. Bush even ignored most Americans - even Texans! - who liked the ban.

Before the ban ended, the International Association of Chiefs of Police implored, "If the law is not renewed, the firearms of choice for terrorists, drug dealers and gang members will be back on our streets. ...With homeland security becoming an increasingly vital part of the daily mission, we need to know that these assault weapons and their capacity magazines will not be back in circulation.''

Now the submachine guns , the magnum-quantity ammo clips and flash suppressors are as close as the neighborhood flea market. This proves Bush is soft on crime.

The Violence Policy Center in Washington reported that, despite the ban, manufacturers produced 1 million military-assault-style weapons since 1994. It further reported that in the trial of terrorists charged in the 1998 American Embassy bombings in Africa, a government witness, an Egyptian who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, testified that he had shipped 25 Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifles to al-Qaida.

The center said, "Al-Qaida and bin Laden have been willing to spend whatever money it takes to execute their plots. Significantly, this includes buying civilian aircraft in which to smuggle weapons.''

Things were bad during the weapons ban and can only get worse. Bush may claim to be tough on terrorism, but it's mostly talk.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill making California the first st! ate to ban .50-caliber assault rifles. This makes it harder for terrorists and other criminals to acquire the sniper's weapon of choice. Even "The Terminator'' recognizes the danger.

According to the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, gun homicides by teens and young adults rose sharply in the mid-1980s and fell after 1993. And, nonfatal crime rates reached "the lowest level ever recorded in 2002 and 2003." These trends likely reflect restricted access to assault weapons.

The bad news: An estimated 67 percent of the 16,204 murders in 2002 involved firearms. And, according to the government's 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey, 449,150 victims of violent crimes said they faced an offender with a firearm. "Homicides of teens and young adults are much more likely to be committed with a gun than homicides of persons of other ages,'' noted the Justice Department.

So what in the name of Columbine was Bush thinking? Not about crime. Definite! ly not about the D.C. snipers who used a knockoff of a banned weapon i n their crimes.

In a post-9/11 world, police are outgunned and underfunded. They are being asked to do more with less. They must confront not only suspected al-Qaida killers but home-grown anti-government nuts, too.

The Violence Policy Center reports that one in five law enforcers slain in the line of duty from 1998 through 2001 was killed with an assault weapon.

Now that the ban is history, criminals have a new Bush-sanctioned motto: Have Tec-9, will travel.

How's this for irony? Last week, a Missouri soldier who came home after his second tour in Iraq, one of the world's most dangerous places, was fatally shot in a home near Fort Riley in Kansas.

Gun manufacturers keep making a killing off killing.

According to the FBI, about 591 law enforcers wearing body armor were gunned down between 1993 and 2002. Thanks to Bush's ambush, all law enforcers are sitting ducks. Potential cop killers can procure AK-47s, large-drum clips and armor-piercin! g bullets.

And yet, Zell Miller, the crazy Democrat in the GOP attic, claims Bush makes us safer. What? Me Worry?

Rhonda Chriss Lokeman's column appears on Sundays. To reach her, call (816) 234-4475, or send e-mail to lokeman@kcstar.com.