Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) is pandering to gun nuts with an outrageous bill that he is co-sponsoring with Rep. Stephen King (R-IA). According to the press release, H.R. 4900 would:
1. Create a "system to provide more flexibility in punishing those who violate gun sales laws."

2. Establish a "solid legal requirement for determining the willful violation" of the law.

3. Create "specific sentencing guidelines for dangerous felons convicted of a gun offense."

4. Set "limitations on the availability of electronic gun owner information."

5. Ban the federal background check "tax."

6. Allow security companies and ammunition manufacturers to purchase machine guns for certain purposes.

7. "Ease the restriction on the importation of replacement parts for military-style semiautomatic rifles."

Those first two sound like they are intended to make it harder to enforce laws on gun sales, and I don't like the sound of eliminating the fee for background checks or making gun records private. But that last one about importing gun parts is totally unacceptable.

"Military-style semi-automatic rifles" are assault weapons, like the AK-47. These are not hunting weapons, or personal security weapons, but machines designed for mass killing. Importing more repair parts means more non-functioning assault weapons will be repaired and put back into circulation. This is a very bad law. I understand that Space is in a conservative district and he has always professed to be pro-gun, but this is over the top.

UPDATE: I've checked and the language of this bill is not yet available. It's difficult to assess some of these provisions with looking at the precise terms. I will update this post when I can read the actual text of the bill.

The Plain Dealer reports today that Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Joseph D. Russo (D-Cleveland Heights) will run for the Ohio Supreme Court seat held by Maureen O'Connor (R-Cleveland Heights). Russo graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1991 and after a year at the l