RHINO Watch: I’d like to take out my elephant gun, but I think it’s about to be banned.

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The bill is H.R.6257: The Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008.

The sponsor of the bill is “Republican” Mark Kirk [R-IL] and his cohorts are Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL], Rep. Michael Ferguson [R-NJ], Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT], and Rep. Michael Castle [R-DE].

Right now, it’s still in it’s fetal committee stages.

And here’s the summary:

Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008 – Amends the federal criminal code to reinstate, for 10 years, the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act’s assault weapons ban to prohibit the manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon or a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Specifies models and features of banned weapons.

Sets forth exceptions to such ban, including: (1) firearms or devices lawfully possessed under federal law on the date of enactment of this Act; (2) certain firearms, replicas, or duplicates listed in an appendix as they were manufactured on October 1, 1993; (3) any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action and that has been rendered permanently inoperable or that is an antique firearm; (4) any semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable magazine that holds more than five rounds of ammunition; (5) any semiautomatic shotgun that cannot hold more than five rounds in a fixed or detachable magazine; and (6) firearms manufactured for, transferred to, or possessed by a federal, state, or local government agency or for law enforcement.

Requires the serial number of any weapon or device manufactured after enactment of this Act to clearly show the date of manufacture.

Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on the effects of this Act on violent and drug trafficking crime.

Definitions are important, so review the list of “weapons” to be banned or restricted:

The term semiautomatic assault weapon means–

(A) any of the firearms, or copies or duplicates of the firearms in any caliber, known as–

(i) Norinco, Mitchell, and Poly Technologies Avtomat Kalashnikovs (all models);

(ii) Action Arms Israeli Military Industries UZI and Galil;

(iii) Beretta Ar70 (SC-70);

(iv) Colt AR-15;

(v) Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, and FNC;

(vi) SWD M-10, M-11, M-11/9, and M-12;

(vii) Steyr AUG;

(viii) INTRATEC TEC-9, TEC-DC9 and TEC-22; and

(ix) revolving cylinder shotguns, such as (or similar to) the Street Sweeper and Striker 12;

(B) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of–

(i) a folding or telescoping stock;

(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;

(iii) a bayonet mount;

(iv) a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor; and

(v) a grenade launcher;

(C) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of–

(i) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip;

(ii) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;

(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned;

(iv) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; and

(v) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; and

(D) a semiautomatic shotgun that has at least 2 of–

(i) a folding or telescoping stock;

(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;

(iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; and

(iv) an ability to accept a detachable magazine.

For good measure, let’s remind ourselves of our good old Republican Party platform.  You know, that little document that is supposed to represent the principles of the Party.  Principles being, according to the Encarta Dictionary, “an important underlying law or assumption required in a system of thought.”

We uphold the right of individual Americans to own firearms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We applaud the Supreme Court’s decision in Heller affirming that right, and we assert the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. We call on the next president to appoint judges who will similarly respect the Constitution. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend themselves, their property, and communities.

We call for education in constitutional rights in schools, and we support the option of firearms training in federal programs serving senior citizens and women. We urge immediate action to review the automatic denial of gun ownership to returning members of the Armed Forces who have suffered trauma during service to their country. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against firearms manufacturers, which are transparent attempts to deprive citizens of their rights. We oppose federal licensing of law-abiding gun owners and national gun registration as violations of the Second Amendment. We recognize that gun control only affects and penalizes law-abiding citizens, and that such proposals are ineffective at reducing violent crime.

I’d like to go in several different directions here.

First, I am going to assume that you folks reading this blog post have more intelligence than a RHINO and can see the contradiction between the proposed Bill and the Republican Party platform.

Second, if these RHINOs don’t have principles, those things needed for a system of thought, then can we assume that they don’t have thoughts?  So, then, what’s going on in those little RHINO brains of theirs?

Third, as a hothead writing a blog post off the cuff, I am going to admit that I’m unaware of the local politics that these “Republicans” face.  However, I would point out that these folks are not responding to legislation proposed by Democrats; rather, these RHINOs sponsored this bill themselves. In other words, I find it disturbing that members of the Republican Party would write and sponsor legislation of which Democrats would be proud.  (It doesn’t matter if the bill failed in committe; the RHINOs still sponsored it.)

Fourth, fully automatic weapons are already banned.  The semi-automatic weapons that the RHINO propose to ban are used in competitions and hunting, things of that nature.  If what you’re trying to get off the street and away from bad guys are fully automatic weapons – the ones that people are really scared of – this is not how to do it.

Fifth, look where these RHINOs are from – Delaware, Illinois, Florida, and Connecticut.  Draw your own conclusions about where their principles and party loyalties lie.

Sixth, what sounds scarier?  Guns or weapons.  Wonder why they can it a weapons ban rather than a gun ban?  Orwell does too.

My seventh and last point is directed to Chris Shays.  Chris, you might think that Annie C. represents the “fringe.”  You think that she’s one of those bigoted, right-wing, nut jobs who only says inflammatory things to get press and published.  Well, if an average old SoDak gal has a blog post about your moderate wishy-washy idoicy, you’re doing something wrong.  (BTW, how did re-relection go?  How did being a moderate work out for you?  About as good as it did for Sen. McCain?  Do you see a pattern here?  Actually, since you cannot cross apply Party principles to the policies you write, let me spell this out for you… if you act like a moderate – dare I say it – even a Democrat, Republicans won’t re-elect you.  You cannot out Democrat Democrats.)

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Reference Links:

• H.R. 6257
• GOP Party Platform