The gun prohibitionists are stirring

My fellow Gun Rights Examiner Paul Valone, of the Charlotte Gun Rights Examiner, informs us that the citizen disarmament advocates in the Senate have started the "battlefield preparation" process, with Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) firing the first shots on Jan. 29th.

Understand too that politicians are inertia-driven. With exceptions, the party in control stays in control by offending as few people as possible, which means doing as little as possible. So imagine the significance of Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) troubling himself to stand before Congress, as he did last week, to lie about “assault weapons:”

But what, specifically, did Senator Levin say? See for yourself--here is how it starts:

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, in the 4 years since the federal ban on assault weapons was allowed to expire, hundreds of people in this country have died and been injured by previously banned weapons. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence report, ``Assault Weapons: Massed Produced Mayhem,'' details the deaths of 165 people and the injury of 185 people by assault weapons since the ban expired. This includes the death and injury of 38 police officers. The simple fact is, our communities are less safe than they were 4 years ago.

I've looked at that Brady report once before, and pointed out several problems with it, turned up by even a very cursory look. In fact, half the examples mentioned in the report involved firearms that were not covered by the '94-'04 federal AWB.

Senator Levin continues:

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives described assault weapons in their Assault Weapons Profile as weapons ``designed for rapid fire and close quarter shooting at human beings. That is why they were put together the way they were. You will not find these guns in a duck blind or at the Olympics. They are mass produced mayhem.'' Unlike semiautomatic hunting rifles, which are designed to be fired from the shoulder and rely on the accuracy of a precisely aimed projectile, assault weapons are designed to be fired at the hip and to maximize their ability to rapidly shoot multiple human targets.

We know, of course, that if the BATFE makes a statement, it must be true, right? As to so-called "assault weapons" being unlike hunting rifles, in not having "the accuracy of a precisely aimed projectile"--I beg to differ, and Remington would apparently disagree with the senator's contention that the AR-15 platform (a prime example of what the prohibitionists classify as "assault weapons") is unsuitable for hunting.

More from Sen. Levin:

The report also outlines the dangerous weapons race law enforcement officers have been forced to enter in an effort to counter the increasing likelihood that they will be confronted by a criminal wielding an assault weapon. In addition to the common criminal, assault weapons are highly attractive weapons for terrorists. The ease with which they can currently be purchased, combined with their designed ability to inflict as much damage as possible, make them ideal tools for conspiring terrorists. Just last year five men were arrested in New Jersey with a stockpile of assault weapons, while planning to attack the U.S. States Army base at Fort Dix.

What the good senator fails to mention is that the "assault weapons" in the would-be terrorists' possession were apparently not destructive enough for their tastes--they were arrested trying to obtain more capable arms.

And finally:

Despite the overwhelming support of the law enforcement community, the ongoing threat of terrorism and bipartisan support in the Senate, the assault weapons ban was not allowed to expire. Now, 4 years later, 19 previously banned military-style assault weapons, some capable of firing up to 600 rounds per minute, are once again pervading our streets and neighborhoods. This Congress we must take up and pass sensible gun safety legislation, including reinstating the assault weapons ban.

"600 rounds per minute"? To put it politely, Senator, you're a filthy liar. I would say that the problem is gangs "pervading our streets and neighborhoods," and that in Congress, there's a pervasive stench of hysterical lies from the aspiring tyrants who wish to implement their citizen disarmament agenda on the people.