Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran and the party?s 2004 presidential candidate, also called the ban ?good policy.?
?Nobody should be selling weapons of war in the streets of our country. It?ll be a tough vote, but it?s the right policy,? Kerry said. ?I?m a hunter, I believe in the Second Amendment, and I don?t foresee any efforts to curtail anybody?s rights. But assault weapons? If people want to use them, join the military.?
Republicans, for their part, seemed eager for the debate as well.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) even reacted with a laugh when told of plans to reintroduce the ban, saying Democratic leaders should reconsider.
?I would fight that with everything I?ve got,? Hatch said. ?The Democrats have a lot of votes, but they?ve got to be very careful because they got their heads handed to them last time this issue came up. They were very cocky about voting for it, and they learned a big lesson.?
Likewise, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn of Texas also predicted ?a good debate.
? Cornyn said Holder ?has a long history of denying the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns.?
?Law-abiding citizens are no threat to public safety,? Cornyn said. ?He?s trying to deny law-abiding citizens the right to bear arms.?
Reference
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/revival-of-gun-debate-puts-gillibrand-in-tough-spot-2009-02-27.html