Howard Metzenbaum Dead At 90

There were times when listening to former Ohio Sen. Howard Metzenbaum set my teeth on edge. But you always knew where he stood on the firearms issue.

"He was a cantankerous firebrand who didn't need a microphone to hold a full auditorium spellbound while dropping rhetorical bombs on big oil companies, the insurance industry, savings and loans, and the National Rifle Association, to name just a few favorite targets."

At least he was consistent. And I always believed he hated guns more than he hated big business, or the crimes he thought Wall Street perpetuated. Or crime for that matter. That's the impression I had from some of what he wrote. He shouted that America wanted gun control and the nation's media quoted him verbatim without any fact checking. Click here to read a column he wrote for the Washington Post in 2004, urging renewal of the failed 10-year-old federal ban on a handful of so-called "assault weapons."

What he said also spoke volumes. For example:

"No, we're not looking at how to control criminals . . ." we're talking about banning the AK-47 and semi-automatic guns."

But not crime . . .

Howard Metzenbaum died Wednesday night at his home in Florida. He is survived by his widow and four daughters.