Ban the Guns

When President Bush ran for office in 2000, he supported a ban on making, selling, and importing such vicious assault weapons as Uzis and AK-47's.

It was a politically smart move when polls showed many Americans did not want those killing machines on the streets, and an admirable one in the face of criticism by the gun lobby and pro-gun GOP legislators.

Now that the ban on assault rifles is set to expire, Bush has fallen woefully silent on the matter, just when his influence in Congress could be used to make the nation safer.

It would take a vote of the House and Senate to continue the ban, but according to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), the Republican-controlled House has no intention of even bringing up the issue on the floor.

DeLay says any there's no reason to bother: the majority in the House favors bringing 19 different types of semi-automatic, rapid-fire assault weapons back on the market - and back on the streets - next year.

Despite the fact that such guns were used in some of the nation's most violent crimes and have killed scores of law enforcement officers, congressional Republicans say they intend to cater to the powerful gun lobby, unless Bush urges legislators to continue the ban.

The President must speak up now - loud and clear - and demand Congress protect the public by keeping assault rifles out of our communities.