Captains Quarters on the incipient Gun Control activities by the White House and the “set up” in Congress (emphasis mine):
They want to turn hunters against the NRA and modern sporting rifles. Fat chance. That didn’t work out so well for David Petzal or Jerry Tsai. Their plans to divide and conquer the NRA will meet with disastrous results. Every minute spent on such a tactic is wasted, and thus we have to hope that they expend a lot of energy on it.
But the later part of the strategy, i.e., politics, is far more fearsome and they have proven very adept at that approach. Gun Owners of America (h/t Mike Vanderboegh) gives us an inside baseball look at the current tactics.
In summary, John McCain is working against gun owners by pressing (along with the Democrats) for a rule change that would essentially be a work-around of the filibuster rule. Lindsey Graham has vowed to vote against new gun control measures, but since he is McCain’s lap dog, he may be looking for cover as he works silently behind the scenes to assist in Feinstein’s plans. Joe Manchin has backed off of his public calls for new gun control measures, but he may be playing the same game as McCain and Graham.
Currently in the Senate, Rand Paul is the only immovable champion of second amendment rights. If new laws pass the Senate, they must also pass the House before going to the President’s desk. It isn’t clear what the House will do. If history is any indication, they are in a weakened state, and lack any backbone anyway.
Kelly is often seen allied with McCain – thus the connection. While the “filibuster workaround” may be in reaction to US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) attempts to blow it up completely (so as to man-handle Progressive and Obama legislation over the objections of the minority party) for other reasons, McCain and allies had better be careful in knowing how “good” things can be used by bad people for “worse” things as well. Legislative control is in place now – take away the filibuster would be like removing the National Firearms Act in the gun control sphere (how’s THAT for an analog?). I would think that the last thing that Kelly would want is any taint on any parliamentary tactic that would lead to a negative impact on New Hampshire citizens – especially on the use and ownership of guns.
And does anyone really doubt that Jeanne Shaheen’s “reasonable gun control safety measures” would entail. Election time is coming sooner for her than for Kelly.
