Sestak calls for new ban on "assault weapons"

Two days after announcing his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Joseph Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont, urged his colleagues in the Legislature to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004...Typically, gun control is seen as a radioactive issue during statewide elections in Pennsylvania, which has a large contingent of hunters and gun owners on both sides of the aisle...Sestak is therefore reviving a bill that died in committee last session, which he and 67 other House Democrats had co-sponsored...That bill would revise the definition of a “semi-automatic assault weapon” to include any semiautomatic rifle or pistol that has specific characteristics, such as a telescoping stock, and can accept a detachable magazine...The bill also would prohibit the importation of any such weapon; “conversion kits” to turn weapons into semi-automatics; and the transfer of any assault weapon with a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device.
Semi-automatic shotguns, pistols and rifles like the AK-47, the SKS, the UZI and the Bushmaster XM15 would fall under the ban, according to the release.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., Sestak’s opponent in the 2010 Senatorial primary election, said a hearing on the merits of such legislation should be held prior to any legislative action.
Specter pointed to studies performed by the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control, which have brought into question the effectiveness of banning assault weapons, and said in his experience as the former District Attorney of Philadelphia that long jail terms were traditionally the best way to deal with gun violence.
“The study commissioned by DOJ found that although there was a decline in gun crimes involving assault weapons during the ban, a renewal of the ban would have a small effect on gun violence, perhaps too small for reliable measurement since assault weapons are rarely used in gun crimes,” said Specter.
Former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, a Republican Senatorial candidate, also weighed in on Sestak’s call to reinstate the ban.
“Whenever there’s an outrageous criminal use of guns, liberals like Joe Sestak always try to penalize law-abiding gun-owners rather than holding the criminals responsible,” said Toomey in a statement. “Sestak is wrong. We should punish criminals and protect gun ownership rights.”....
--------------------
Full Story @:http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/08/09/news/doc4a7e3b441c31c312110150.txt
--------------------
Sestak is the worst kind of all: an intentional knowing liar grandstanding on the mythical "assault weapon", (actually semi-automatic firearms), non-issue to propel himself into the spotlight to enhance his political career. Pure scum. It is ironic that another of his ilk, Arlen Specter, of all people, is now weaseling and pointing out the true facts against his political foe Sestak's phony anti-gun position. They are apallingly ignorant about firearms: again we see them (intentionally?) confusing semi-autos with machine-guns!. Did you catch it?:"“conversion kits” to turn weapons into semi-automatics"? Say What? This is a technology that not only does not exist, it would make no sense for it to exist in the first place! These are the people we are to let make decisions about our firearms? I do not flippin' think so, and am far from the only one!. "Notice that Sestak is employing the strategy of claiming to "support gun rights" while making a blatant attempt at a gun-ban, assuming gun owners are too stupid to see through such propaganda. Gun owners are constantly being told that they are "paranoid", that "no one wants to take your guns", etc; yet here we have another outright call to ban a massive amount of commonly used firearms(?!!?)...Paranoid my hindquarters! Sestak may be a clown, but he is a malicious, malignant, dangerous clown, protected by an anti-gun running dog media that will never connect his antics to the cost in innocent lives...S9