« Meet the new director, same as the old director | Main | Observations on the media and the Colorado shooting »
1994: Jody Powell on gun control
Clinton and others should have listened to him.
"As much as I hate to say it, the NRA is effective primarily because it is largely right when it claims that most gun control laws inconvenience and threaten the law-abiding while have little or no impact on violent crime or criminals. (If you doubt this, call the DC government, say you just moved to town with a couple of shotguns for hunting, and ask what you need to do to reply with the law)"
"If the answer is 'no' in both cases, consider whether the benefits are worth making Bob Dole majority leader."
"Your problem and the national problem does not come from people who love guns and hunting and other shooting sports."
7 Comments | Leave a comment
A voice cries out in the Wilderness...that memo must date from the time that George Stephanopoulus either had a mini-stroke or was found rolling on the floor of his office, foaming at the mouth and crying "Bring me the head of Jody Powell!"
I only see the first few paragraphs.. Is it me?
You and George Stephanopoulos...
Davnport, it had me fooled, too - either do a "scroll down" (if you have one) or hit the down arrow on your keyboard.
Thanks, Hartly.. Silly me, thinking the mouse wheel was just like the arrow keys...
Better grip on things than most Dems, but still...no cigar. Still thinks (at that time) "guns on the street" is the problem, rather than violent criminals on the street. Still thinks "unlicensed guns" are a problem, not violent criminals who also have guns. Thinks law abiding gun owners should make yet more compromises and sacrifices, rather than finding ways for violent criminals to make sacrifices.
He still thought guns and gunowners were root problems. Fail.
Wow - a democrat with a lick of sense, who'd a thunk it?
Seriously, the bit at the end where he urges them to come up with a program that ditches the traditional gun-banning rhetoric and provides something that will actually address the problem of gun crime (or crime in general) is probably where he lost them - because they knew that no such program was going to be invented and withstand scrutiny by the public.