Senator Dianne Feinstein is never and will never be a friend to gun owners. She despises the things, though she’s been known to carry herself. Of course, like so many other anti-gunners, gun regulations are for the little people, not the special class such as herself.
Earlier today, she released a statement calling for increased regulations in the wake of the tragic shooting in Thousand Oaks, California.
Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif.:
“Today we add Thousand Oaks to the ever-growing list of communities that have suffered mass shootings.
“These mass murders are depressingly pervasive. Schools. Theaters. Malls. Offices. Synagogues. Grocery stores. Bars. Concerts. Churches. They’re inspired by racism, revenge, terrorism or just pure hatred. The one common attribute: easy access to guns.
“Some will say California’s strong gun laws didn’t prevent this shooting, but without stronger federal gun regulations, there’s little California can do to keep guns coming in from other states. Without stronger laws to prevent straw purchasing and close the gaping holes in our background check system, a presumptive murderer barely has to lift a finger to buy a gun.
“Some will say we need more guns, not fewer, an absurd claim in a bar full of students with security guards where an armed police sergeant was killed.
“Republicans argue we shouldn’t talk about gun policies after a mass shooting. They’re wrong. This is exactly the time we should be talking about enacting gun safety measures. We don’t know all the details of this latest shooting, but we do know how to start to reduce the frequency of these murders. What we’re missing is Republican willpower to get it done.
“A renewed ban on military style assault weapons—which have no place in civilian society—is ready for a vote. A bill to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines is ready for a vote. A bill to ban bump stocks, which Republicans agree should be illegal, is ready for a vote. A bill to close the gun show and online loopholes is ready for a vote. Bills to prevent terrorists from buying guns, keep guns away from domestic abusers and allow loved ones to get a gun violence restraining order, each is ready for a vote.
“We could hold these votes next week and have bills on the president’s desk by Thanksgiving. Instead, Republicans refuse to take any action at all.
“This failure to act is cowardice of epic proportions. We may not be able to stop all gun violence, but that doesn’t mean Republicans should be allowed to bury their heads in the sand and not try to stop any of it.
“What we’re lacking is intestinal fortitude from congressional Republicans and President Trump to say enough is enough. As long as they stand in fear of the NRA and worry more about the power of the gun lobby than the lives of their fellow citizens, we’ll see more Thousand Oaks, more bodies lying at the foot of failed Republican leadership.”
###
Wow. I mean, that’s absolutely amazing. A ban on “military style assault weapons,” bump stocks, and high-capacity magazines, as well as closing the so-called gun show and online loopholes.
I mean, just…wow.
It’s like she completely ignored what happened in Thousand Oaks while composing a listing of her hopes and dreams for gun control.
Here are a few facts.

The killer did not use a “military style assault weapon.”

Instead, he used a .45 caliber Glock. That’s a semi-automatic handgun which no one has mentioned trying to ban (yet). It’s a weapon that not only would survive a reinstatement of the old assault weapon ban, but it would also survive pretty much every version of the new ones being proposed.

The killer did not use a bump stock. 

Again, it was a semi-automatic handgun, of at least a similar kind that is perfectly legal in all 50 states. It’s a handgun that doesn’t have a stock, thus isn’t impacted by whether or not a bump stock is even a thing you can buy.

California already has a ban on high-capacity magazines.

The truth of the matter is that California already has a ban on high-capacity magazines…as well as everything else on Feinstein’s wish list. Guess what kind of an impact it made. That’s right. None. Not at all.

There is no gun show or internet loophole.

As I noted earlier today, weapons purchased on the internet and shipped from out of state still have to go through an FFL. The same is true of buying a gun from a licensed vendor at a gun show. All of those purchases require a background check and the appropriate ATF paperwork.
The exception, however, is when you’re just meeting up with a non-dealer and simply buying from another citizen.
What Feinstein is demanding are universal background checks, but she lacks the fortitude to actually say so. Instead, she couches it in misleading language.
It’s not that different, really, from building a soapbox from the bodies of the dead in an effort to advance her gun control agenda. It’s just colossally stupid to do it to advance measures that would have had exactly zero impact on this shooting, even if gun control worked exactly as designed. This killer complied with California’s draconian gun regulations and 12 people are still dead.
Frankly, it’s disgusting.
I don’t like Feinstein, but I have always understood, at least partially, where her gun control desires came from. Having found two dead bodies after a political assassination is likely to mess with someone a bit. I get that and I’ve given her just a bit more slack than I would most.
But no history excuses this ghoulish desire to cash in on corpses by touting measures that wouldn’t have accomplished jack squat. To make matters worse, though, anyone with half a brain can look at this attack, look at Feinstein’s proposals, then realize that she’s screaming for the same stuff that FAILED TO STOP THIS ATTACK FROM HAPPENING IN CALIFORNIA!
If anyone with half a brain can see it, what does that tell you about Sen. Feinstein?
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misreported the size of the magazine used by the shooter.