LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010306/t000019845.html

Tuesday, March 6, 2001
Congress, Bush Unlikely to Back New Gun Curbs
Politics: Any drive stemming from the Santee shootings faces a president
opposed to stricter limits and a GOP-controlled Capitol Hill.

By NICK ANDERSON, Times Staff Writer

    WASHINGTON--In the nation's capital, reactions to the school shooting
in the San Diego suburb of Santee on Monday followed what has become a
familiar script.
    There were official words of solace to the victims. There were
pledges to campaign against youth violence. And, inevitably, there was a
renewed call from some quarters for stricter gun laws.
    But even among gun control advocates, the bottom line was
unmistakable: Prospects are slim that a Republican-controlled Congress and
White House will enact new limits.
    "It will be difficult at best," said Laura Nichols, a spokeswoman for
House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), who is a staunch gun
control advocate.
    "Interest always gets renewed when a school shooting happens,"
Nichols said. But gun control advocates "are probably not going to get
what they hope for from this Congress," she added.
    President Bush, in remarks to reporters at the White House, called
the shooting "a disgraceful act of cowardice" and extended condolences to
"the parents and the teachers and the children whose lives have been
completely turned upside-down right now."
    Asked what as president he could do, if anything, to stop children
from shooting one another, Bush replied: "All of us, all adults in
society, can teach children right from wrong, can explain . . . that life
is precious. All of us must be mindful of . . . the fact that some people
may decide to act out their aggressions or their pain and hurt on somebody
else."
    In discussing gun control in the past, Bush generally has discounted
the need for stricter laws. He has called instead for tougher federal
enforcement of existing regulations, such as those banning juvenile
possession of handguns.
    The shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado almost two years
ago had produced surprising momentum in Congress for new restrictions on
gun use and sales. Such measures would have been the first significant gun
control legislation passed since Republicans took control of Congress in
the 1994 elections.
    The Senate, aided by the tiebreaking vote of then-Vice President Al
Gore, approved a measure that would have cracked down on unchecked sales
at gun shows. But the measure failed in the House, and House-Senate
negotiations aimed at producing a compromise died.
    As a political matter, the gun issue lost steam during last year's
presidential election despite a major march against gun violence on
Mother's Day in Washington and other marches elsewhere.
    As the campaign progressed, Gore discussed gun control as his race
with Bush increasingly focused on swing states where there was no voter
consensus on the issue.
    One strong opponent of gun control is Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El
Cajon), whose district includes the site of Monday's carnage. In 1999,
Hunter proposed a measure to relax the strict gun control law in the
District of Columbia, arguing that the capital's residents deserved to be
able to keep handguns at home for their defense.
    On Monday, Hunter released a statement lamenting the violence at
Santana High School.
    "Now i

Time will tell, but they are all political animals, the first priority being to stay in office. That means bending to public opinion. And everyone knows that the sheeple who give their "opinion" are controlled by the socialist media.

I disagree. Some people's convictions stand above their desire for personal gain and quest for power. It is difficult to identify these people, but when you find one, make sure you vote for them even if you don't agree with them 100% (i.e. Libertarian vs Republican).

Time will tell if GW is one of those people.