Failure & Finger-Pointing

With yesterday’s failure of two alternative background check measures, it is becoming readily apparent that passage of more restrictive laws on law-abiding firearms owners are far easier to tout than they are to pass.

The Manchin-Toomey amendment failed first, going down by a 54-46 vote. Shortly thereafter, by a 52-48 vote , the Grassley-Cruz amendment hit the bottom of the same dust bin. Two other measures, one of which would have made state concealed weapons permits acceptable throughout the country, and a proposal to limit the number of rounds in magazines, also failed.

And it took nearly no time for both sides of the gun rights issue to check in with their respective perspectives.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg used Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) to circulate a statement calling the votes “a damning indictment of the stranglehold that special interests have in Washington.” As the sole bankroll behind MAIG and the man who’s ponied up $12 million to campaign for gun control, it sounded more like Bloomber was miffed that his tossing endorsement- accompanied by his not-insignificant financial resources – wasn’t enough to pass any measure.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California wasted no time lambasting her colleagues for not passing any gun control measures. She also challenged them to “show some guts.” Apparently, that challenge worked, with 60 of the 100 Senators risking her ire by voting down her bill to ban “assault weapons”.

Even before the votes, the Second Amendment Foundation had pulled its endorsement of Manchin-Toomey. That’s the same SAF that surprised the industry and angered many gun owners with a weekend announcement saying it not only endorsed the Manchin-Toomey amendment, it had helped write it.

On Monday, SAF exec Alan Gottlieb told The Outdoor Wire that support was contingent on the addition of key amendments. When they amendment weren’t added yesterday, the SAF bailed.

“Our support for this measure was contingent on several key provisions, the cornerstone of which was a rights restoration provision that is not on the schedule for consideration,” said a frustrated Gottlieb.

“This is not a reflection against Senators Joe Manchin or Pat Toomey…But it appears the Democratic leadership in the Senate was opposed to letting this important consideration come up for a vote,” he said.

“We told everyone including a number of senators, that while there are many pro-gun rights provisions added to the main body of the bill, our support was contingent on this additional amendment coming to the floor. When we say something, we mean it.”

The National Rifle Association, unequivocal in its opposition to both measures, quickly restated its position via NRA-ILA Exec Chris Cox:

“Today, the misguided Manchin-Toomey-Schumer proposal failed in the U.S. Senate. This amendment would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens, requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution. As we have noted previously, expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools.

“The NRA will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats who are committed to protecting our children in schools, prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and fixing our broken mental health system. We are grateful for the hard work and leadership of those Senators who chose to pursue meaningful solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.”

In stark contrast, a visibly angry President Obama took to the White House steps after the vote, calling the vote a “pretty shameful day for Washington” and accusing the “gun lobby and its allies” of willfully lying about the bills.

Senators opposing the gun controls, Mr. Obama said, “caved to the pressure.”

Yesterday’s actions were a major setback for the administration and supporters of gun control, but a broader package is still alive in the Senate.

That was the gist of a message released last night by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (it appears in today’s news section). “Today’s votes do not represent the end of the discussion in Congress or in American. NSSF looks forward to moving ahead with the work that remains to be done to try and make our families safer and preserve our firearms freedoms.”

A part of the discussions inside the industry include two questions: 1) will Connecticut-based gun companies (and the NSSF) will remain in a state that has either restricted their products and the products of many of their members, and 2) is an inside-the-industry acquisition of Freedom Group in the works?

No answers here- yet- but financial insiders say Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (NYSE:SWHC), Sturm, Ruger (NYSE:RGR) and Aliant Techsystems (ATK) have all “expressed interest” while high-power lawfirm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom has reportedly been hired to evaluate offers. Freedom Group’s Bushmaster made the rifle used in the Sandy Hook tragedy, leading private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management to put Freedom Group up for sale.

We told you earlier in the week that Californians were asking for help in their battle to turn back more than 100 pieces of anti-gun and hunting legislation under consideration in the state Assembly. And on Tuesday, the California Senate’s Public Safety Committee passed a number of extreme anti-gun measures, from outright bans on guns and magazines, to ammunition seller and purchaser permits. According to Calguns Foundation Executive Director Brandon Combs, they also included a measure giving municipalities the authority to ban gun shows on state property.

Instead of bemoaning their passages, Combs says California gun owners walked away with one significant victory: “absolute solidarity on our side”. “Dozens of California gun owners sacrificed time and treasure to attend the hearing and speak out against the bills,” Combs wrote, “We must also thank everyone who sent messages, mailed letters, faxed comments and phoned their representatives expressing the hundreds of reasons why these bills are wrong-headed and unconstitutional.”

But, he added, the representatives of the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of California, California Rifle and Pistol Association and the California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees “put aside differences on how best to advance Second Amendment interests” in order to share their shared philosophy: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

As legislative battles continue, we’ll keep you posted.

Jim Shepherd is the Editor and Publisher of the The Outdoor Wire Digital Network and The Shooting Wire.
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The material published here reflects only the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect official positions of Outdoor Channel.