Daniella's Misadventures

This is from the Washington Post:

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 10, 2003; Page A03

A House debate over gun rights legislation erupted into a racially charged dispute yesterday when a Republican lawmaker from Wyoming seemed to equate African Americans with drug addicts or people undergoing drug treatment.

Rep. Barbara Cubin's remark -- which triggered a vote on whether to strike it from the congressional record -- nearly overshadowed the House's approval of a measure to protect gun manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits resulting from the criminal use of firearms. One independent, 63 Democrats and 221 Republicans backed the bill, which could block several pending lawsuits by counties, cities and individuals stemming from gun crimes -- including last year's sniper shootings in the Washington area.

President Bush and more than half of all senators support the bill, giving it strong odds to become law and immediately affect such lawsuits.

Yesterday's debate suddenly veered from guns to race when Cubin criticized a failed Democratic amendment that would have banned gun sales to drug addicts or people in drug treatment. After noting that her sons, ages 25 and 30, "are blond-haired and blue-eyed," she said: "One amendment today said we could not sell guns to anybody under drug treatment. So does that mean that if you go into a black community you can't sell any guns to any black person?"

Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), who is black, interrupted and demanded that Cubin retract the statement. Cubin said that she did not mean to offend her "neighbors" on the Democratic side, and maintained that her comment was within House rules.

Watt was not satisfied. "She needs to apologize for using words that are offensive for the entire African American race," he said. He demanded Cubin's comment be "taken down," meaning it was inappropriate for a House debate. In a largely party-line vote, the GOP-controlled House voted 227 to 195 to uphold the chair's ruling that the remark fell within House rules.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said GOP leaders should have condemned Cubin's comment. "The Republican Party has consistently said it's working hard to become a racially diverse party," he told reporters. "If that is true, the Black Caucus calls on the Republicans to synchronize their conduct with their conscience."

A few Republicans criticized Cubin's statement. "She should have withdrawn them," Rep. Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.) said. "I can really understand how they would have been found offensive."