Gun control proponents say that perception of the N.R.A.'s vast political clout largely dates to the 1994 midterm elections, when Republicans seized control of the House and Senate after passage of an assault weapons ban under President Clinton.
The passage of the assault weapons ban is only a start but it will make clear to the NRA that they will not control this debate, we the people will!
But that only invited scrutiny into his past positions, including his passage of an assault weapons ban while governor of Massachusetts and his 2004 declaration that "I don't believe that we have to have assault weapons as part of our personal arsenal".
After the 1994 passage of an assault weapons ban and the NRA's role (along with a lot of other factors) that fall in ousting some of the Democrats who voted for it, the Gun Rights Express veered further and further to the extreme right.
Mr. Bloomberg, meanwhile, took to the phones, calling members of Congress to urge the passage of an assault-weapons ban.
Even the White House considers passage of a new assault weapons ban exceedingly difficult, but there did seem to be some consensus building for expanding background checks.
The government responded with the passage of several new sexual assault laws, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years for gang rape, and six new fast-track courts created solely for rape prosecutions.
And despite a long history of opposing any gun control measures, Mr. Foley helped win House passage of a 1994 ban on assault weapons, which played a major role in the Republican victory that fall.
Note that 1994 was the last time we had a national debate on guns that ended with passage of both Brady and the assault weapons ban.
After winning passage of a federal ban on assault weapons, Bill Clinton saw his party wiped out in the 1994 elections, giving Republicans control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
