Michael Steele on Gun Control

[lukem]

No ban on guns; focus on enforcement instead

Q: Your views on gun control?

A: My views are pretty much in line with the governor's. I grew up under some of the strictest gun control laws in the country. You can have all the gun control laws in the country, but if you don't enforce them, people are going to find a way to protect themselves. We need to recognize that bad people are doing bad things with these weapons. It's not the law-abiding citizens, it's not the person who uses it as a hobby.

Q: Should people have access to buy assault weapons?

A: Society should draw lines. What do you need an assault weapon for, if you're going hunting? That's overkill. But I don't think that means you go to a total ban for those who want to use gun for skeet shooting or hunting or things like that But what's the point of passing gun laws if we're not going to enforce them? If you want to talk about gun control, that's where you need to start. We've got 300 gun laws on the books right now. At the end of the day, it's about how we enforce the law.

Source: Washington Post interview Oct 16, 2006

[Debray]

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No ban on guns; focus on enforcement instead

Q: Your views on gun control?

A: I feel Honest American should be able to CC for protection, but CC classes are needed and also background checks.

Q: Should people have access to buy assault weapons?

A: I was President of a local Sportsman's Club for several years and as I always told our membership, "If we don't goveren ourselves someone else will regulate us." Ohio had a shotgun and muzzsel loader only Deer hunting season. A member of our Sportsman Club wanted to include Handguns so we studied balististics, and made up comparisons information to muzzel loaders, shotguns., and handguns. We had representatives at all the Ohio Department of Wildlife Division meetings and met with the State Farm Burea. We now are allowed to hunt deer with a handgun in Ohio and it was the first major hunting regulation proposed and passed in the same year. Do we need assult weapons?

[Tex4oc]

Here we go again with the "hunting with assault weapons" gambit. Look people the Second Amendment was put in place to allow the citizens of this country a method of defense against our own government, right now we arm our soldiers with Eugene Stoners AR-15/ M-16 platform, so guess what I also keep, that's right an AR-15, Why? Because if the government ever decides to turn on it's citizens I will be as well armed as those who would try to take my freedoms.
It's not about hobby, or hunting, or recreation, or sport, it is to fight our own government, or other governments that try to intercede with ours.

[wolfhunter]

+1 Tex. Get the emphasis off hunting, 2A is about government control.

[defender829]

Debray,
Thanks so much for your positive contributions, but my opinion is that some locales may have no great need of CC classes.

We have a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to bear arms.

Please remind me where hunting is mentioned in the Second Amendment.

[AllAmerican]

A: Society should draw lines. What do you need an assault weapon for, if you're going hunting? That's overkill. But I don't think that means you go to a total ban for those who want to use gun for skeet shooting or hunting or things like that But what's the point of passing gun laws if we're not going to enforce them? If you want to talk about gun control, that's where you need to start. We've got 300 gun laws on the books right now. At the end of the day, it's about how we enforce the law.

Typical political answer. Give em a crumb and then move the line of thinking back to where you want to go. FWIW, I support Steele.