Mayors Against Illegal Guns: "Our plans are full speed ahead."

[Robb]

(Executive director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Mark) Glaze and other supporters of tougher gun laws pointed to states like Minnesota, New Mexico and Oregon as places for potential campaigns to pass bills requiring background checks for private gun sales or other firearms legislation. Gun bills in those states came close to passing this year.

And in Maine and Washington, gun control supporters intend to push ballot initiatives, going directly to voters and bypassing elected officials, who they say are vulnerable to pressure from the gun lobby.

“After Newtown, there couldn’t have been a more powerful moment to get this done,” said Ethan Strimling, a former state legislator in Maine and a leader in discussions there about putting a background check initiative on the ballot as early as next year.

“And when you can’t get it done through our elected officials under that kind of emotion because of the N.R.A., you have no choice but to go directly to the people,” Mr. Strimling said.

Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/us/in-gun-debate-divide-grows-as-both-sides-dig-in-for-battle.html

[billh58]

1. The momentum for

sensible gun control is growing by the minute no matter how much the NRA and our very own Gungeoneers deny it. Americans, including many gun owners, are waking up to the fact that the NRA has been flooding our streets with guns for years through political corruption and by making an obscenity of the Second Amendment by using it for purely marketing purposes.

The cold-dead-hands gun culture in this country has been taken hook, line, and sinker by the NRA and its arms manufacturer/dealer sponsors by believing the NRA lie that "the Democrats are coming for your guns." No, the Democrats are NOT advocating the confiscation of guns, but rather that Americans be responsible and accountable for their guns. Current NRA-promoted gun legislation allows for the unfettered flow of guns to criminals through straw purchases and private sales, and that insane (but profit motivated) hole must be plugged. 80% of incarcerated felons report that they obtained guns through private sales.

Democrats must not be intimidated by those who say that voting for sensible gun control measures will cost us elections. That is just another NRA lie that will be self-fulfilling if, and ONLY if, we don't get out the vote. We must not only defeat the extreme right-wing by voting for sensible gun control legislation, but we must defeat those DINOs who parrot the right-wing NRA lies and vote against us.

[gopiscrap]

2. Good hope they prevail!