Nixon Wished for Total Handgun Ban

[waynesan]

Interesting read  about President Nixon:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/ap-enterprise-nixon-wished-total-handgun-ban-081806381.html

[Jonnin]

So did the NRA.  Everyone hated pistols in the late 60s.  

 

Reagan is responsible for a lot of CA's gun laws too, if you missed that. 

[Garufa]

 Reagan is responsible for a lot of CA's gun laws too, if you missed that. 

 

Certainly not!  :rolleyes:

[Jonnin]

Certainly not!  :rolleyes:

 

Google around a bit about his time in CA. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulford_Act  might be a starting point?

 

It has also been said that reagan's support as ex president of the clinton era ban had much influence on the votes from "conservatives" that helped pass it.

 

along with the usual democrat line "I support hunting rifles blah blah but you cant have X" 

 

“I do not believe in taking away the right of the citizen for sporting, for hunting and so forth, or for home defense. But I do believe that an AK-47, a machine gun, is not a sporting weapon or needed for defense of a home.”

 

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his 8 years a LOT, but he had some moments.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Jonnin

[Guest sL1k]

great now I have to change my avatar :/

[Chucktshoes]

The deification of Reagan gets on my nerves. He wasn't the small government, stalwart defender of the 2A who single-handedly won the cold war that folks like to portray him as. He was just less terrible that the previous decade's presidents and had good timing for dealing with a USSR that was already very weak internally. As far as the 2A goes, Reagan is what many of us would derisively refer to as a "Fudd". He was no real friend of ours.

[JAB]

The deification of Reagan gets on my nerves. He wasn't the small government, stalwart defender of the 2A who single-handedly won the cold war that folks like to portray him as. He was just less terrible that the previous decade's presidents and had good timing for dealing with a USSR that was already very weak internally. As far as the 2A goes, Reagan is what many of us would derisively refer to as a "Fudd". He was no real friend of ours.

 

It is funny how people forget how Reagan wanted to spend BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars on the so-called 'Star Wars' defense plan - even though no one knew whether or not they could actually make it work.

 

Likewise, they forget how his administration oversaw an amnesty program for illegal aliens, claiming that it would be a 'one time' thing that would help solve the illegal immigration problem.  Yeah, we see how that worked out.

 

Sure, the USSR crumbled but - as Communism doesn't really make any money - that was going to happen sooner or later, anyhow.  I have to wonder how much money was unnecessarily spent on his watch just to speed up the inevitable.

 

Then there was his conduct during the whole Iran-Contra mess.  When he claimed he couldn't remember if he was involved or not, I remember one of his comments being, "Do you remember what you were doing on [such and such day at such and such time.]  I just wish someone had responded, "No, sir, not specifically but I am pretty sure I wasn't taking part in a deal to sell arms to Iran."

 

Finally, as Jonnin said, Reagan is largely responsible for the draconian gun laws that are in place in California - gun laws that threaten to bleed over into the rest of the country.  He also supported the so-called Brady bill.  He even used the dreaded 'Saturday Night Special' term in his written support for that bill.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/29/opinion/why-i-m-for-the-brady-bill.html

 

Sure, he had his good points.  I believe that the air assault on Libya was one of the best military decisions that a POTUS has been party to in years.  In fact, I think that such strikes should have been the blueprint for Iraq and Afghanistan rather than being so involved in a ground war.  Of course, not being a military person my opinion on that doesn't count for much.

 

But, hey, the man could surely make a good speech.

Edited March 11, 2013 by JAB

[Lumber_Jack]

Nixon proved not to use the best judgment at times....I'll lump this in with those.