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"Scam" ads the norm Trail Mix: Hillary haters spam cyberspace Gunning for the center Democrats make Hillary legit The blundering pundit Don Giuliani Campaign video: |
Gunning for the center | page 1, 2, 3 "It will make Texas a safer place," Bush said at the time. "I wouldn't be signing this if I thought it made Texas a more dangerous place. I don't think it does." According to a 1999 study by the Violence Policy Center, however, since Bush's CCW law took effect, an average of two Texas CCW licensees have been arrested every day. Bush's "safer" Texas now included individuals allowed to carry loaded, concealed weapons who were arrested for, as of March 1999, 15 charges of murder or attempted murder, six charges of kidnapping or false imprisonment, 28 charges of rape or sexual assault, 103 charges of assault or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, 442 charges of DWI, 30 charges of indecency with children and 70 charges of sexual misconduct. Interestingly, even though Bush's priority on his gun agenda is the NRA's effective mantra calling for "stronger enforcement of existing gun laws," he has done nothing to prosecute the 800 convicted felons who illegally applied for Texas CCW licenses. When it comes to reconsidering the Texas CCW law, Bush has gone in the other direction. The 1995 CCW law prohibited Texans from carrying concealed handguns into official sporting events, bars, correctional facilities, amusement parks, hospitals, nursing homes and "established places of worship." So Bush went back in 1997 and extended the law so the CCW holders could carry their guns into places like churches, amusement parks and rest homes. On "Today," Katie Couric asked Bush why he signed the 1997 Texas bill specifically removing hospitals, churches and amusement parks from the list of places CCW holders were prohibited from bringing their guns. "You think it's perfectly all right for people to carry concealed weapons into churches across the country?" Couric asked. "No, no, no," Bush said to Couric, "but churches ... no, I didn't say that. Churches in our state of Texas do not let ... if they don't want somebody doing that, it won't happen. The reason that part of the bill was passed is because preachers wanted to be able to carry a concealed weapon in their own home on church grounds. But people aren't carrying guns in churches in Texas." It is true that Bush didn't "say that" -- but he did sign it into law. If Texas churches "don't want somebody doing that," they need to post a sign -- in both English and Spanish, letters in block print and at least one-inch high -- saying, "Pursuant to Section 30.06, Penal Code (trespass by holder of license to carry a concealed handgun), a person licensed under Article 4413(29ee), Revised Statute (concealed handgun law), may not enter this property with a concealed handgun." Bush has put the burden on the church; it is assumed that preachers and parishioners should have no problem with loaded concealed handguns in the pews. As for people not carrying guns into churches in Texas, that's certainly open to debate, particularly at the Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth where seven people were killed in September. But why would Bush sign a law allowing CCW holders to carry their guns into churches if he didn't think people were "carrying guns in churches in Texas"? Wasn't that the idea? Hours after Bush tried to paint over his opposition to mandatory trigger locks by giving a bunch away and stammering when pinned down to talk about his record, he sent campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker onto CNN to debate Gore spokesman Chris Lehane on the issue. Tucker discussed the governor's come-to-Jesus moment on trigger locks, and her belief that voters "know about his record here in Texas of passing tough laws against gun violence." "Time and time again, the governor has sided with the gun industry over the safety of our children, that's been his record in Texas," Lehane said. "I indeed hope that Mindy is right and people do find out about his record in Texas. He supported overturning a 125-year law to allow people to carry concealed weapons. He went back two years later and amended that law to make it easier to bring guns into churches. The governor is just fundamentally out of step with mainstream America when it comes to gun-safety issues." "Well, Chris has a lot of rhetoric, but usually has the facts wrong, and again in this case, Governor Bush has a strong record here in Texas, and in fact the law that he talked about President Clinton actually said was a good idea on Friday," Tucker said. A Bush press aide trying to seek political cover on the gun issue through a Clinton endorsement -- how interesting. When asked what Clinton thought about Bush's new trigger-lock giveaway, Clinton did indeed, say, "I think it's a good idea," but that was immediately followed by his question: "But why -- why is he doing that? "You have to understand what's going on here," Clinton said, answering his own question in his inimitable fashion. "There was a report in the newspaper last week that a lobbyist from the NRA said they would have an office in the White House if Governor Bush was elected." Bush, Clinton said, "wants to move away from that image. He wants people not to think that he won't do anything -- basically that the NRA will control policy on this. Which they will if he wins. And if he comes out and gives away gun trigger locks, then he doesn't have to explain why we're still importing large-capacity ammunition clips and why he doesn't want to close the gun-show loophole." That's something that Bush's "little
birdie" forgot to mention.
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