That is one of my favorite quotes by the great, Thomas Jefferson. In spite of Jefferson's wisdom, in 1994, Socialist Democrats like Feinstein and Clinton successfully lobbied to pass a bill that banned so called "assault weapons" nation wide. These are not to be confused with "assault rifles" that feature fully automatic capability, and are already banned and regulated by the BATFags. Actually, there is no true definition for 'assault weapons', except that they are 'scary looking'. They are merely rifles, shotguns, and handguns that have a 'military style' appearance, but no more functionality than regular hunting guns.

When asked how effective the bill was at reducing crime, statisticians were hard pressed to come up with any real data. Initially the reply was something like "Uh.. It's hard to tell, because criminals hardly ever use those guns any way." In fact, Gunowners.org notes that "over 100,000 police officers delivered a message to Congress in 1990 stating that only 2% to 3% of crimes are committed using a so-called 'assault weapon.'" Gun grabbers ignored the facts, and put restrictions on honest law abiding citizens any way.

What is really aggravating now-a-days, is that the useless ban is coming up for renewal in 2004. Probably since it is an election year, Bush seems to not only be wholeheartedly in favor of extending the ban, but making it permanent. Fox News reports that while Bush is awaiting an administrative study on how effective the law has been, he "backs the bill regardless of the study's findings because he thinks the assault weapons ban is 'reasonable'". So why even bother with the study, if you are just going to ignore the findings? I don't like studies any way, as the results are usually pre-determined, but why bother spending the money?

What is most disturbing is this passage:

[Sen. Diane] Feinstein addressed gun-control supporters who complained that her bill is too weak and should instead be modeled on California's assault weapons ban. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., are taking that approach in a House bill they authored.

"We'd like it to be better, but we know if we push it too far, we'll have no bill," Feinstein said.

Feinstein, and other big name gun grabbers, would model the existing nation-wide ban after California's hideous pick and choose weapons ban. California, whose constitution has no provision protecting the right to keep and bear arms, has the most confusing gun laws in the nation. Their laws are so disorganized and random, that even the police and district attorneys have trouble deciphering them.

Initially, California tried banning 'assault weapons' by name, which had the expected results. Next they tried banning them by feature. They came up with rules like, if a rifle had a detachable magazine, AND a pistol grip it was banned. The problem is, it only takes the turn of a screwdriver to make an illegal rifle legal again. Back in 1999, World Net Daily quoted Steve Helsley of the NRA as saying, "All the parts in this bill are parts you put on with a wrench or a screwdriver. For most of them, it would take about a minute to switch your gun to make it legal." Helsley likened it to banning all Corvettes with CD players, even though the CD player has nothing to do with the functionality of the vehicle. The resulting mess is that the line between legal and illegal becomes so fuzzy, it isn't hard for a gun enthusiast to make an honest mistake and end up spending years in jail.

What Feinstein means when she says she knows she cannot push too far, is that she doesn't want to over play her hand. Firearm's Freedom enthusiasts know full well that her intention is to pass a complete and total ban of firearms. She's already admitted on national television that she'd propose a total gun ban if she thought the votes were there. No, this is only a part of a bigger picture. It is the baby steps approach; the gentle step by step erosion of individual liberty and freedom. It is because of that erosion that civil libertarian groups like the NRA stand in the way; and if we don't stop them soon, it may be too late.