New congressman Eric Swalwell isn't waiting long to jump into an issue that is sure to bring him some heat.
The Dublin Democrat plans to co-sponsor a bill that places restrictions on private ownership of assault weapons.
It's the first bill Swalwell will put his name on. That legislation is expected to be introduced by mid-January.
It'll come just weeks after Swalwell and other members of the 113th Congress took their oath of office. It also is one of many politically charged issues the new representatives will debate.
Among them are the debt ceiling, aid for Hurricane Sandy victims and Swalwell's idea to set up a "mobile Congress."
What do you think about all these issues? Use the comments section to let your elected representatives how you'd like them to vote.
Swalwell will also be writing an occasional blog about his experiences in Washington.
Swalwell officially got down to business on Thursday when he and other members got sworn in. They first took the oath as a group on the House floor in the morning and then that afternoon got to individually take the oath again at a re-enactment with House Speaker John Boehner.
Swalwell said both ceremonies provoked different emotions. The House floor vote overwhelmed because as he looked around and saw 435 hands in the air, he realized the importance of the moment.
"I got hit by a semi-truck of emotions," said the 32-year-old congressman. "It was the realization we are designated with leading the country. It's a big responsibility."
The re-enactment had a different feel. He was surrounded by his parents, other family members, friends and constituents.
"That ceremony made me realize how many people it took to get this done," said Swalwell.
The new congressman was also appointed to the Homeland Security Committee and the Science and Technology Committee.
His first vote was in a losing cause. Swalwell joined other Democrats in casting their ballot for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for Speaker of the House. Boehner won re-election to that post.
Disarray in Congress
Last week, Democrats watched as Republicans fought internal battles over the speakership, fiscal cliff legislation and spending cuts. Some pundits are saying the Republican House members are in more disarray than ever.
"I think what we're seeing is far right extremists taking over the (Republican) caucus," said Swalwell.
That split showed up again when the House voted Friday on a relief package for Hurricane Sandy victims.
The original bill was for $60 billion in assistance, but some Republicans balked because they felt corresponding spending cuts should be made elsewhere.
The House ended up approving a $9.7 billion aid package for federal flood insurance participants on a 354-67 vote. All the "no" votes were Republicans. The remaining $51 billion is scheduled for discussion on Jan. 15.
Swalwell voted in favor of Friday's bill and will vote "yes" on the $51 billion package, too.
He said it's the federal government's duty to help victims of natural disasters, no matter where they occur.
"We come together in these situations and it's usually bi-partisan," said Swalwell. "We have to assume there will be a need for San Francisco earthquake relief some day."
Assault Weapons Ban
The next major issue is expected to be assault weapon restrictions.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is promising to introduce such a bill in the Senate. Swalwell says he will co-sponsor a House bill on the same topic.
Swalwell says as an Alameda County prosecutor he saw the impact assault weapons have on their victims. It's not just the number and size of the bullets, he says, it's the velocity at which they travel.
"When a person gets hit by assault weapons ammunition, they have no chance," he said. "There is no reason for civilians to carry military-style assault weapons."
Swalwell said he isn't afraid of the political heat he's bound to take from the National Rifle Association and Second Amendment fundamentalists.
"I'm more worried about people who become victims of gun violence," he said.
Swalwell also supports reforming the nation's mental health system and strengthening security at schools.
Debt Ceiling
Within 60 days, Congress will once again square off over the federal government's debt ceiling.
Swalwell plans to vote to raise that limit. He agrees with President Obama that this is for expenses the government has already rang up and we have an obligation to pay them.
However, after the vote, Swalwell said Congress needs to get serious about spending cuts, so the ceiling issue is no longer a factor.
"It's incremental government. We can't keep kicking the can down the road," he said.
Once option Swalwell wants to explore is raising the cap on Social Security tax payments. Right now, Social Security taxes are collected only on the first $110,000 a person earns. After that, no tax is paid.
Swalwell says that's a "regressive tax" and the cap should be raised to bring in more revenue for Social Security.
Mobile Congress
An idea being floated by Swalwell is to make the House more of a "mobile Congress."
With the technology available today, Swalwell says there is no reason to require Congressional representative to be physically present to conduct business.
He said members should be able to video conference and telecommute, so they can spend more time in their districts.
He wants to try the idea at the committee level first, then see if it can work on the House as a whole.
"The goal is to make Congress more accessible," he said. "It's time. It's the 21st century."
Mr. Swalwell should educate himself on firearms because he sounds utterly foolish. I am all for limiting magazines to 10 rounds but who the hell cares it the gun "looks" military STYLE or not? None of the rifles available for civilian purchase are actually military weapons. I could buy a car that looks like a Corvette, but if it has a 4 cylinder engine, it's not going to keep pace with the actual Corvette on the highway. Fortunately, Mr. Swalwell is part of the minority party in the US House and as such has ZERO clout to pass anything other than gas.
I also believe that the VELOCITY of each of those many bullets is connected to the RANGE and the PENETRATION potential of the bullets. That allows them to travel farther, penetrate walls, and hit even more children while they sleep in their beds. If my statements are correct, a person with firearm knowledge like you would already know all this. That tells me that whether he is right or wrong, you just have congressman Swalwell in your cross hairs.
Mr. Swalwell seems to think higher velocity equates to more damage to the target. He's wrong. Go ask your local police department if they still carry 9mm handguns. They will likely tell you no, they carry .40 s&w. Why would they do that since the 9mm has more velocity? Because the .40 s&w carries more kinetic energy and with it, more stopping power.
As for the other topics... I agree we are long overdue for a "mobile" congress. Get our representatives back amongst the people. Maybe then they will start dealing with matters that affect us on a daily basis. Its my opinion that withholding recovery funds from the people who went through Super Storm Sandy, is inhuman. Those people have suffered enough. The government has an obligation to Des help them ASAP.
Something needs to be done about the carnage caused by guns that's become too common. I don't have the answer. I hope someone finds it.
The legal definition of an "assault weapon" does not refer to the select-fire military assault rifles; it is simply a legal definition of an ugly firearm. The Second Amendment is not about hunting animals; it is predicated on the intent of the founders that an armed citizenry would be the last check and balance over a government gone mad. For grins and giggles, you should go to a public library and look up the 1970s NYT front cover story on the Cato Institute study that Nixon commissioned. Mr. Nixon was considering cancelling the 1972 elections because of the chaos in the streets, the rioting, etc. The Cato Institute advised him that this would be a very bad idea since there were literally millions of Americans with *unregistered* firearms that could not be easily confiscated, and they might take strong exception to someone cancelling the presidential election and remaining unelected in the Oval Office. Other fun things to read about are armed resistance to Klan state and local governments in some southern bastions as New Jersey, Oregon, Indiana and Colorado in the 1910s-1920s. My family literally had to fight a shooting war against Klansman attempting to lynch my great-grandfather and his son-in-law, my grandfather.
No more Nick Melis, no more armed defenders, and more "gun free" zones for criminals to exploit.
Thanks Nadja for educating Keith. I overlooked that remark he made. Apparently Keith thinks the Bill of Rights is a "Bill of Needs". For example, maybe Keith should just keep his mouth shut.... he doesn't "need" a right to free speech.
In other words, he drove over a thousand miles to find a "gun free zone" in which to commit murder.
Second, it appears that poor Mr. Miller was killed almost immediately upon the entry of his killers. This suggests to me that Mr. Miller was killed by a disgruntled customer or someone else that he could identify. In an event such as happened to poor Mr. Miller, the killers obviously intended to kill him from the start since they apparently walked in and shot him immediately. There is very little that one can do in such an incident, if one is alone - perhaps the most chilling case I know of is the women working in a convenience store in Lane County, Oregon, where my brother and other nurses used to stop on the way to work. A robber came in and killed them even though they complied in every way with his demands. The nurses were very shaken to see these women brought in dead when they had seen them alive and chatted with them only a few hours earlier. However, the case of Mr. Miller does not negate the nearly one million effective self-defense uses of firearms every year in the United States.
The killers obviously intended to kill him from the start since they apparently walked in and shot him immediately. Owning a firearm that isn't ready for immediate use won't save you - hanging on the wall isn't accessible. The most chilling case I know of is the women working in a convenience store in Lane County, Oregon, where my brother and other nurses used to stop on the way to work. A robber came in and killed them even though they complied in every way with his demands. The nurses were very shaken to see these women brought in dead when they had seen them alive and chatted with them only a few hours earlier. However, the case of Mr. Miller does not negate the nearly one million effective self-defense uses of firearms every year in the United States.
Update from CBS Fresno... http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Second-Suspect-Arrested-in-Madera-Pharmacy/uHGppWKoGkaNN49j6WRisQ.cspx Lee who is ex military carries a .45. And is glad he had his gun. “Of course because the Madera Chief said if it weren't for that, we'd be two corpses,” Lee said.