Will a Cold-Blooded Cop-Killing Convince Legislators to Ban Assault Weapons?
Tragic as it was, the cold-blooded drive-by shooting of Officer Timothy Brenton over the weekend handed supporters of a proposed state assault weapons ban with a compelling case to take to Olympia. Even though police say they have not yet determined what weapon was used, Ralph Fascitelli, president of Washington CeaseFire, says he plans to cite Brenton's murder when lobbying for the bill in the next legislative session.
State gun control advocates are still trying to bury these
"Maybe this particular [police victim] wasn't killed with an assault weapon, but the next one maybe will be," Fascitelli says, adding that police safety was a key reason that automatic weapons were banned decades ago and that the International Association of Police Chiefs supports a ban on military-style semiautomatic weapons today.
Former Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske, now the nation's drug czar, was a prominent supporter of the federal assault weapons ban that expired under President George W. Bush. Asked whether the Seattle Police Department, under Interim Chief John Diaz, might now speak out in favor of a state ban, spokesperson Sean Whitcomb says: "There may certainly be a time and place for this."
The planned state legislation already has some traction. Family and friends of Aaron Sullivan, a teen killed by another teen with an assault rifle in Leschi over the summer, have been actively organizing on its behalf. The bill was brought up at a memorial for Sullivan held on Sunday by his family and CeaseFire. And the teen's murder has brought new support for gun control in the African American community, according to Fascitelli. Sullivan's mother is African American, and a well known educational consultant and administrator at Seattle Community College.
Still, gun control advocates have tried to pass an assault weapons ban several times before in this state--and failed--even after shocking shootings that you would think would have made it a slam dunk. In 1994, for instance, a bill went down despite the killing of a Ballard High School student with a semiautomatic. As usual, the NRA has been a potent political force in blocking such legislation.
Fascitelli says he believes the timing may be right this year because of a number of sympathetic legislators, including Adam Kline (D-Seattle) and others on the Senate Commerce Committee, where the bill will be introduced. But he says it's powerful House Speaker Frank Chopp that will determine its fate. "If Chopp gets behind it, it will pass. If he doesn't, it won't."
A call to Chopp's spokesperson for comment has not yet been returned.
25 comment(s)
Ben Miner says:
The IACP wants to ban all semiautomatic guns? Where are you getting your information? They have NEVER come out with something so radical. Are you aware that all handguns except revolvers are semi-automatic? I am so tired of reading anti-gun rants that either flat-out lie or get their facts painfully wrong. If you want to advocate for a ban on something, is it too much to ask that you at least have a clue what you are talking about? Spending sixty seconds on wikipedia looking up the meaning of "semiautomatic" would have saved you this embarrassment.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 7:43AM
Wolf says:
So ask politely all law abiding citizens to turn in their semi automatic guns and rifles by a proposed ban.
Well after that is done I am sure criminals and gang members will follow that good example and do the same... NOT!
Please wake up!
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 7:59AM
Nina Shapiro says:
Ben -- I stand corrected. The opposition is to military-style semiautomatics.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 9:47AM
DDS -- NRA Life Member says:
It's important to note that they don't really want to ban all semi-automatic firearms, just the ones that look scary. At least those are the ones they want this time around. Next time, they'll try for another bite of the apple. New Jersey wants to ban all semi-automatics, including the .22's kids use to shoot at tin cans. New York wants a ban on all firearms over .50 caliber, including the ones that were used by patriots at Saratoga in 1777. In fact, if you can trap them into being honest, they want anything that looks like a gun; paintball markers, 6mm airsoft pellet guns, even realistic appearing toy guns are under attack. If you have a gun, they want it. Today it might be my Springfield M1a target rifle (oops... my bad... should have said assault weapon). Tomorrow it will be your scoped Winchester M70 "sniper rifle". They want them all.
"If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for
an OUTRIGHT BAN, picking up every one of them, Mr. and Mrs. America, turn
them all in, I would have done that. I could not do that, the votes
weren't there." -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein on "60 Minutes"
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 10:36AM
GrendelPrime says:
I get a headache right behind my eyes trying to process the rationale of creating more laws to address criminals that, by definition, do not obey the law.
Had the Officer been run down by a motor vehicle would there be a push to ban them or punish the driver?
The mind of the wielder can turn any item that comes to hand into an assault weapon, or render the most dangerous object harmless.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 11:31AM
W. Gibson says:
The lack of logic exhibited by the author is astounding: We don't know what he was shot with so let's ban scary looking guns? Huh? If she were honest what she would have written would go like this:
I don't like guns, they're mean and nasty and they scare me. The death of a police officer is a tragedy so maybe I can use it to try and get these scary guns banned. The guns we clueless in the media have lablelled "assault weapons" are especially scary so maybe we can ban them first. Then we can get busy banning the rest of them.
Of course liberals are never honest, they're clueless and emotional but never honest. Never mind that guns save far more people from crime than they are used to commit. Never mind that criminals don't obey the 22,000 gun laws we already have on the books. Never mind that the felon who probably shot the officer undoubtedly couldn't legally have a gun anyway. Never mind that pesky 2nd Amendment says citizens have the right to be armed. Guns scare Nina so she wants them gone.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 12:33PM
sebastian pex says:
"Ben -- I stand corrected. The opposition is to military-style semiautomatics."
The sort of weapon that there is no evidence of being used in this crime?
Makes sense.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 12:35PM
beatbox says:
The bias here is in what the writer did NOT ask. Why not a simple follow up question.."If the shooter used a deer hunting rifle in this case, what in the assault weapons ban would prevent the next shooter from using the same type of gun?"
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 1:54PM
CaptainAttila says:
So, state gun control advocates are trying to bury suppressed G36 rifles? Seems like they won that particular battle back in 1934. The author might want to spend a few minutes familiarizing herself with the subject matter before dancing on the grave of a peace officer.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 2:22PM
Jerry says:
This is a typical anti-gunner stance. My father was an officer with SPD who was slain in the line of duty, but guess what.....I don't go around advocating the banning of pistols. In fact I own one very similar to what he was killed with. Washington Ceasefire has reached an new low with these remarks.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 2:36PM
JIMMY DEAN says:
You gun grabbers, need to tread very lightly...Because the day that Military style "semi automatic" rifles, hand guns & shotguns are made illegal, will be the day the next Revolution begins.On the news today they said this year 12 MILLION rounds of Ammo was sold, not to mention the Millions of guns, which the majority were MILITARY STYLE..the American people are ARMING themselves, from the Obamination of a president we have & his commie anti agenda..
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 3:51PM
Dan says:
Nina,
What is a "Military Style" semi-automatic and what makes it more deadly than a non-MIlitary Style semi-automatic?
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 5:06PM
Kevin Schmadeka says:
Ralph should be careful what he wishes for. I lobby for gun rights in Olympia from time to time, and a few years back I nearly got a bill introduced that would put this issue to rest. It's called the "Arms Definition Bill" and it would unambiguously define what a constitutionally protected "arm" is, according to the legal definitions of the period.
In short, everything from Ma Deuce on down.
The year it was nearly dropped was the same year the AWB bill dropped out of sight. But if Ceasefire's bill makes a comeback, so does mine. Go ahead Ralph, make my day.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 5:20PM
druid says:
Ralph Fascitelli is a heartless, lowlife dirtbag. The officer is barely dead and this scatophagic hoplophobe has the audacity to dance in his blood to the tune of his anti-gun agenda? The liberals in this country really ought to be proud of their "caring" attitude.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 @ 10:22PM
Kevin Schmadeka says:
Druid, this is, after all, the organization that was raising money in the name of their own murdered president within hours of his death, and continues to raise money in his name to this day. That's the way this outfit works. No murder victims, no money, and it's been a long dry spell. Couple that with the fact that even the hardcore libs in Olympia don't want to touch them or their agenda, and they have a lot of self-justification to catch up on.
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 5:42AM
Carl from Chicago says:
Ironically, Shapiro tags this article under "Crime and Punishment."
Absurdly but as usual, the gun control angle is to punish anyone who lawfully own guns while wholly ignoring the punishment of the person who chose to commit the crime.
I thought punishing the "whole class" for the bad behavior of one person was left behind in Kindergarten.
That is why I have long suspected that gun controllers are similar to Kindergarteners.
If only Ms. Shapiro would realize that, too.
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 6:11AM
Carl from Chicago says:
Ms. Shapiro should add a note stating that "military-style" was added after original publication. The omission is misleading.
Of course the IAPC would not advocate banning all semiautomatics, but only those ones they can get political traction for banning.
At any rate, I am pleased to note that even "military style" semiautomatics are protected arms under the "common use for lawful purposes" test of Heller.
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 6:19AM
Carl from Chicago says:
JIMMY DEAN said (Nov. 3 @ 3:51PM):
"On the news today they said this year 12 MILLION rounds of Ammo was sold,"
Jimmy, that was the Washington Post article ... and the number is 12 Billion. Twelve billion rounds.
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 6:28AM
Montana Libertarian says:
The term "liberal" now has negative connotations, so it has been replaced with the somehow less offensive, and less accurate, "progressive."
In any case, both denote an individual who can be characterized as an emotion-driven left-wing whack-job.
When you come for my guns, you'd better bring yours. You'll be needing them.
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 5 2009 @ 8:05PM
Timmothy McVeigh says:
There is a whole lot of stupid in this article!
We should just ban everything that moves and weights more than 8 pounds.
Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 8 2009 @ 4:37PM
Carl from Chicago says:
"Will a Cold-Blooded Cop-Killing Convince Legislators to Ban Assault Weapons?"
Perhaps it might convince them, but such legislation would violate the second amendment to the US constitution.
There are some things that are simply "off-limits" to legislatures.
And that's a very good thing.
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 12 2009 @ 12:08PM
Will says:
Even if an assault rifle was used for this murder,(they rarely are), how does one death warrant a state ban on anything?
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 13 2009 @ 2:36AM
ISP5000 says:
On mine, it not the best variant
Posted On: Friday, Dec. 11 2009 @ 8:41PM
SGCB says:
"Will a Cold-Blooded Cop-Killing Convince Legislators to Ban Assault Weapons?"
Ms. Shapiro, “Assault Weapons” are already illegal in Washington State (RCW 9.41.190). Why would you ask Legislators to duplicate an already existing law?
An "Assault Weapon" is a selective rate of fire (full) automatic firearm (like a machine gun). Does Ms. Nina Shapiro know the difference? Machine guns are not legal in Washington State. Does a semi-automatic rifle with a plastic stock differ from the same rifle with a wooden stock? The answer is no, just in appearance. Should racy looking cars with small engines be banned because they look likely to speed? Should intelligent, well informed, law abiding citizens be silenced because ignorant, emotional people disrespect our Constitutional Rights? Our Constitutional Freedoms are important! We all want to get the criminals. Do not persecute innocent, law abiding citizens. Focus on the real problem: criminals. The murderer who killed our four police officers should have been kept in prison. Devote your agenda against people like Huckabee who made the release of the murderer possible.
Sincerely,
SGCB
Posted On: Thursday, Dec. 17 2009 @ 8:47PM
Chad says:
We have state and federal laws preventing the manufacture, possession, and use of bombs and other destructive devices. If these laws did nothing to prevent
Christopher J. Monfort from attempting to kill police officers with explosive and incendiary devices, how would banning firearms have prevented this same person from murdering Officer Timothy Brenton?
Assault is a behavior, not a type of rifle, firearm, or weapon. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Keep these "people" behind bars and we will not have them assaulting innocent americans.
Perhaps we can demand that our politicians keep known, repeated, violent offenders in jail for the term sentenced in a court of law? How about a mandatory 10 year enhancement on any violent criminal using a firearm during the commission of a crime?
These travesties have shocked and alarmed my family and I. I don't see how disarming law abiding citizens and removing their ability to defend themselves will help.
Posted On: Sunday, Dec. 20 2009 @ 7:11PM