Way to be exiting the U.S. Senate with class:
http://kotaku.com/...
Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Nebraska senator Mike Johanns called it "ironic" that people who support the bill want gun control in real life but not in movies and video games.
"Apparently we should ban these devices in rural Nebraska, where we grew up around firearms, but allow our children to idolize Hollywood stars committing mass shootings on the big screen, and then try it out for yourself in a graphic video game where the game is interactive, violent, and you are literally shooting at people," Johanns said. - Kotaku, 4/19/13
Last night, Jon Stewart ripped Johanns and his GOP colleagues over their idiotic statements against background checks and gun control. You can watch the clip here:
Johanns won't be running for re-election next year and I say good riddance. He's been trying to push the blame from weak gun control to video games for a little while now:
http://journalstar.com/...
Sen. Mike Johanns said Thursday the recent mass killings by disturbed assailants wielding assault weapons point toward the need for better treatment of serious mental illness and a deep look at the effect of violence portrayed in video games and movies.
Johanns referred specifically to the effect on young people of interactive video games in which the purpose for the player is to kill people.
Johanns has co-sponsored legislation calling for a federal study into the impact that violence in movies, TV and video games may have on children. - Journal Star, 4/11/13
Plus Johanns has been cheering for gun control measures to fail in the Senate leading up to the vote:
http://nebraskaradionetwork.com/...
Sen. Mike Johanns opposes using the Newtown shooting that killed 20 first graders and 6 educators to move gun control legislation.
“I think this was a political response to a very tragic circumstance,” Johanns tells Nebraska Radio Network.
Obama visited Connecticut shortly after the December 14th shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. On Monday, Obama returned to meet with family members of the victims and to call for action in Congress. Members of 11 families flew with the president on Air Force One back to Washington to lobby for gun restrictions.
It appears efforts to ban military-style assault rifles have failed. Debate has now shifted to legislation requiring background checks and some sort of federal registration of gun purchases.
Johanns sees little chance of any gun control measures passing Congress.
“All of this stuff about we’re going to ban 100 weapons and this that and the next thing, I never believed had any basis in reality and I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere in the Senate or the House,” Johanns says. - Nebraska Radio Network, 4/9/13
So yeah, 20 dead kids wouldn't sway a prick like Johanns to get behind something as popular as background checks. Glad to see this asshole leave. Whether or not the Democrats have any chance to pick up this seat is a different diary in itself but at least it's nice to know we won't be seeing this clown come 2015. But I also shutter to think who Nebraska voters could send to the Senate next year.