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Monday, September 13, 2004

Bush's flip-flop on assault weapons



The above Tec-9 was used by Dylan Klebold to shoot 55 rounds during the Columbine massacre.

During the 2000 Presidential campaign, George W. Bush promised he would strictly enforce the ban on assault weapons. On Monday, Bush quietly allowed the ban to expire. As a result, Uzis and Tec-9's (the gun used in Columbine) will once again hit U.S. streets.

Here's what Bush had to say about Columbine during the 2000 Presidential debates:

"But let me say something about Columbine. And listen, we've got gun laws. He says we ought to have gun-free schools. Everybody believes that. I'm sure every state in the union's got them. You can't carry a gun into a school. And there ought to be a consequence when you do carry a gun into a school. But Columbine spoke to a larger issue and it's really a matter of culture, it's a culture that somewhere along the line we've begun to disrespect life. Where, for a child can walk in and have their heart turn dark as a result of being on the Internet and walk in and decide to take somebody else's life.

And so gun laws are important, no question about it. But so is loving children and character education classes and faith-based programs being a part of afterschool programs. Somebody, some desperate child that needs to have somebody put their arm around him and say we love you and so there's a, this is a society of ours that's got to do a better job of teaching children right from wrong. And we can enforce law, but there seems to be a lot of preoccupation on, not necessarily in this debate, but just in general in law, but there's a larger law: Love your neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. And that's where our society must head if we're going to be a peaceful and prosperous society."

With that in mind, Bush believes, let the public go out and buy all the semi-automatic handguns they want.

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