For those of us in the gun blogosphere, I think it’s important to highlight another reason to loathe the politics of Ed Rendell. Let’s see what Ed hast to say on guns:
“I believe with all my heart that we need more gun control†– Press Conference 10/3/2006
“I believe with every ounce of feeling that I have that there are far too many guns.” – Reason Magazine 7/1998
“I just can’t say publicly what we want to do, we have to take these things slowly.” – Overheard conversation with an anti-gun activist while running for Governor.
“What I’m going to try mostly to do is convince the legislature to let Philadelphia have the right to pass its own gun laws. We had that, when I was mayor, up until 1996 – then they took it away from us. I’d like them to give us that right back,” [Sebastian: It was taken away because the city tried to pass its own assault weapons ban and wouldn’t issue carry licenses]
“The sheer cost of defending these suits would be hard on the gun industry”.
“The impact of so many cities’ filing suit all at once would be monumental for manufacturers. . . . They don’t have the deep pockets of the tobacco industry, and it could bring them to the negotiating table a lot sooner.”
“I might sue the entertainment industry for glorifying gun violence.”
“I favor the one-gun-a-month legislation that’s passed in Virginia and South Carolina, which limits handgun sales to one gun per month”
“I thank the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for their continuing support and their commitment to making Pennsylvania a safer place to live.”
“Neither the City nor the State are in the business of selling weapons; we are in the business of confiscating them.” Letter to a Pennsylvania resident, December 7, 1993
“To the people of Philadelphia, guns aren’t used for sport, guns aren’t used for recreation. Guns aren’t even very successfully used for protection. Guns are used for killing people.” ABC Nightline, May 26, 1998
“Rendell said that, as a city prosecutor, he had never seen a defensive gun use, and that as far as he was concerned, he had never heard of a defensive gun use. He said that he didn’t believe they occurred.” – John Lott relaying a confrontation with Rendell in 1999
And yet Rendell likes to say:
“There is nothing that I want to do to take a gun away from a hunter or a law-abiding citizen.”
Pardon me if I think you’re full of shit, Ed.
Back when I used to attend Grover Norquist’s wednsday morning revival of the faithful, Kaye Robinson stood up to explain what the NRA was doing to elect pro gun candidates. During his presentation he went on at lengths about all the good local candidates it was supporting in Pennsylvania, how much it was investing in a Senatorial race, and how both gubernatoria candidates were pro gn.
I stood up and rode him pretty hard over what I saw as an utter dereliction of duty there in the inability of the NRA to attack then philly mayor and noted bigot Ed Rendell as he decided to run as a gun friendly gubernatorial candidate.
He had no response, only a “I appreciate your thoughts” none response.
Well that also speaks to Kaine being an ass in general. He never should have been at those meetings.
However, I do have a funny story about what Chuck Cunningham said at the Norquist meeting when Al Gore presented. I’m sure you’ve heard it though. Dearest Oil Lobbyist was there and told me.
Ed Rendell is done. He is not going to be heard from again – politically. Henceforth, we need fear nothing from ‘Fast Eddie”.
He has gone as far as he is going to go and he will simply sink into irrelevance in much the same way that Dick Thornburgh has.
Requiescat in Pacem
Ed Rendell simply is wrong on all counts as it relates to guns,their usage,purpose and effectiveness in PREVENTING crimes.
Guns are used daily throughout this great nation to stop crime.Guns are good recereation-I just was target shooting with my three sons.Guns are fun to hunt with.Guns are important to PA residents-law abiding like me and my family.
What kind of a boob would want to give up the right to own a firearm?Even if they did not possess one-legally?
Ed Rendell is using guns as does Guliani,Bloomberg,Clinton,Schumer,Rangel and so on as thier scapegoat for failed policy on implemeting already existing extensive gun laws,locally,regionally and nationally.