The Larry Kane Report

There will be renewed calls for gun control in the aftermath of the slaughter at Virginia Tech. It is good thing to talk about, but the national debate always ignores a shocking reality. That is simply the fact that single-shot handguns are not as deadly as automatic weapons, and the fact that the killer at Va. Tech would have never killed as many people with a single-shot weapon. He would have been subdued.
Another fact: The Constitution allows the right to bear arms, but it doesn’t specify that people should be allowed to purchase automatic or semi-automatic weapons that can allow one person to murder so many people.

So it is time for the President and the Congress and the people to stand up for a different form of gun control - a total ban on the individual purchase of automatic weapons — a total ban. Exceptions of course would include those in law enforcement and the military.

Such a ban would satisfy the need for gun control, while at the same time allowing qualified people to buy regular hand guns, guns that protect.

If the President wants to comfort the victim’s families, and fight crime, he should make sure that people cannot buy automatic weapons of any kind.

This will cut down our disgusting murder rate and at the same time allow citizens to purchase the firearms they think they need for protection.

This is gun control with wisdom.

These recent acts of violence, capped by the mass murder at Va. Tech, require political courage and a deep respect for life.

This is a pro-life program to keep our people safe.

No automatic weapons in the hands of individuals will make this a safer country.

Comments(52)

Philadelphia talker Michael Smerconish is one of the most inclusionary and welcoming talkers in the nation. Yet, in the aftermath of the Don Imus firing, some reactionry left- wing bloggers have placed him in the same camp as Ann Coulter and Michael Savage. two of the worst examples of conservative hate-seeking firebrands in the nation.

Smerconish and I disagree. I think Imus’s firing was the right thing. What he did was the finale of a long line of racial and ethnic insults. An example of logical thinking he was not. In fact, in his final stupid act, he attacked athlete-scholars with a sexist and racist blast. The truth is that extremists on both sides of the political divide have used the Imus catastrophe to sell their own agenda. THE IMUS SCANDAL HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY RIGHT AND LEFT WING EXTREMISTS WHO HAVE NO DESIRE TO KEEP PEOPLE UNITED!

Unfortunately, a group called Media Watch put Smerconish in the same category as the race-baiting, hate-mongering elements of the extreme right.

Michael Smerconish is not that kind of a person or broadcaster. He’s the genuine article who lets his intelligence speak for himself. His inclusionary style is a big hit in Philadelphia, and CNN is smart to be using him. The TODAY SHOW understands how Michael reads people and issues. That is why is he constantly featured.
We disagree on Imus, but his support for free speech and his courageous and gutsy dialogue, dialogue without spreading hatred, is something to be admired.

There are assassins in print and broadcasting. The fact that they are trying to smear Smerconish is evidence of just how scary our society is - a society that breeds resentment and fear.

That’s one of the reasons I think Imus should have been fired in the beginning. And that’s because he was an agent of division.

But the attack on Smerconish shows that the extreme left can be as stupid and mean-spirited as the extreme right.

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This is a performance critique on debate number one.

There was no clear winner in the first Mayoral Debate, but there were some interesting moments. Despite the elitist critics who decry his genuine nature, Bob Brady had the best night, showing a sense of connection with the viewer. Brady speaks to Philadelphia. As a broadcaster, I can tell you that he was the “connector” in this debate. His jab at Knox to stop beating up on the other candidates was the moment of the night. Brady will gain votes.

The big surprise was Chaka Fattah. The real pro in terms of experience, has had a hard time finding his voice in this campaign. He needs to look more leader-like, more down to earth. The passion within him has yet to damatically surface. Also, his support for a new trial for cop klller Mumia Abu-Jamal is hurting him citywide. Fattah needs to look like a Mayor. The man has been a leader for a long time. He needs to assert himself. And he needs to distance himself from the Mumia movement.