By the time Rep. Chenoweth introduced her bill, there were 11 original cosponsors -- a significant number indeed. Consider that the other leading bill to repeal the Lautenberg gun ban only had one original cosponsor when it was introduced earlier this year. That bill, introduced by Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), would only repeal the retroactive part of the gun ban, leaving the ban in place for the future.[Emphasis Added-DC]Really?
It would seem so:
Rep. Barr shows support for Lautenberg ban.We've seen the best the Republicans are offering us--this is all the LP can muster? We are so screwed.
In early March, Rep. Bob Barr endorsed the concept of the Lautenberg gun ban, calling it "important and worthwhile legislation." Barr's comments appeared as an editorial in the March 6, 1997 issue of USA Today, where he called for only a limited repeal of the Lautenberg ban. While he opposed the retroactive part of the ban, Rep. Barr endorsed the underlying principle behind the Lautenberg gun ban, stating that,This [Lautenberg gun ban] is important and worthwhile legislation, and we cannot allow its effectiveness to be reduced.Unfortunately, this was not the first time that Rep. Barr has expressed his support for the underlying principle behind the Lautenberg gun ban. On September 28, 1996, Rep. Barr issued a memo on his Congressional letterhead stating that:The Lautenberg amendment with the Barr language is strong protection for women and children. [Emphasis in the original.]And then on October 12, 1996, Rep. Barr sent a letter to the editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, again saying that he had fought hard to "improve" the Lautenberg language. He noted that because of his amendment, the Lautenberg gun ban could now pass constitutional muster and not be struck down by the courts. Barr stated:Under the Lautenberg language -- which was cleared up through my amendatory language that was adopted -- there was no consistent definition of "crime of domestic violence," and therefore the entire provision would have been declared unconstitutional. My language corrected this deficiency by setting forth the common elements of the crime that would apply to everyone. [Emphasis added.]Rep. Barr was also one of the Representatives who voted last September in favor of the Lautenberg gun ban as part of the omnibus spending bill (H.R. 3610).
The above statements would seem to indicate that Rep. Barr is content with only repealing the retroactive nature of the ban, and thus, leaving the gun ban in the federal code in perpetuity.
I'm writing in Papoon for President.
"He's Not Insane."