One thing I really like about the internet is how fast information zips around the world. One thing I shake my head about when it comes to the internet is how much bad information zips around the world.
Robert in South Carolina emailed me on Tuesday, wondering about talk he had seen on the net about some kind of gun control provisions getting slipped into the stimulus bill.
And he wasn't the only worried about gun control language.
"I can't find any verification of this but it certianly sounds real enough," wrote former police officer Keith Hensley.
At issue was H.R. 45, which was introduced earlier this year by Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago, which would set up a gun licensing system.
And that wasn't all.
"I am also hearing that the Medical Care portion (of the stimulus) also includes testing requirements for elderly buying ammo and guns," wrote Robert.
So, what's the truth?
I can assure you that the word "gun" does not appear anywhere in the new stimulus law. Nor does the word "ammunition" or "weapon."
The story seems to have started with a piece written by Judi McLeod, a former columnist for the Toronto Star newspaper, who now runs CanadaFreePress.com, a conservative news web site.
"Dem's Use "Stimulus" as Cover for More Gun Control," was the headline of an article that they focused more on the bill referenced above.
I've had a series of people ask about gun control in emails, so let me get into that subject as well.
No, I don't see the Democratic Congress moving on gun control legislation.
Yes, they have the advantage in votes in the House and Senate, but I'm not sure most people in the Congress have the stomach to re-open that divisive battle right now.
And I am sure that there are more enough votes in the Senate to block any such action with a filibuster.
But if the Democrats chalk up another big win in the mid-term Congressional elections of 2010, then they can start to enlarge their agenda as well.
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