In the aftermath of the cold-blooded killing of Philadelphia Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski with a semiautomatic weapon, they made a written appeal to lawmakers in Harrisburg last week.

Man up - now.

Stand up for the state's law enforcement officers and ban the possession, manufacture, use and importation of assault weapons.

This latest action comes on the heels of the mayor, no doubt sick and tired of being sick and tired of Harrisburg's failure to get any traction on gun control, signing five new gun laws that were to take effect immediately.

He had to realize that his defiant stroke of the pen would amount to nothing more than shooting blanks.

Especially since District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham had already advised him that the laws were unconstitutional.

And most especially since one of the perps oh so willing to fire back was the all-powerful National Rifle Association.

Talk about hostage-takers who refuse to negotiate.

Sure enough, the NRA wasted no time suing and winning a restraining order against the mayor's regulations, which included a ban on assault weapons.

Still, Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey continue to plead their case on the national stage, not only for a state ban, but also for a reinstatement of the 1994 federal assault weapons ban that Congress allowed to expire in 2004.

As expected, the NRA continues to cling to the age-old argument that guns are the least of the problem.

"It's the same song-and-dance out of Ramsey, focusing on the firearm and not at the root of the problem," NRA spokesman John Hohenwarter said. "The problem is the revolving door of the courtroom and the lack of intervention for these kids who grow up to be criminals."

But none of those things killed Liczbinski. A criminal armed with a body-armor-penetrating weapon did.

The state has systematically shot down proposed regulations like one-gun-a-month laws and a requirement that lost or stolen guns be reported to police. And one that calls for a mandatory prison term of 20 years for anyone convicted of firing at a law enforcement officer.

But the good news is that there are citizens who love their guns and respect the Second Amendment, and who also strongly support reasonable gun-control laws.

But when he and his wife go into Center City, chances are he's packing.

"Guns to me are like fire extinguishers," Vernick, 57, says. "You don't expect to use them, but you'd better have them if you need them."

He believes he represents the typical law-abiding gun owner who supports gun regulation.

And he wouldn't join the NRA if you paid him.

"I'll probably get shot for saying this, but I think they're a bunch of terrorists," Vernick says. "We don't have the right to own an AK-47 and we don't necessarily have the right to own a Glock with a 15-round magazine."

Vernick's opinion is shared by the 25,000 members of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, a new organization created to bring reason back to the gun issue.

"We believe in the right to bear arms, and hunting and shooting. But we also believe there needs to be reasonable restrictions," says AHSA executive director Bob Ricker, a former NRA attorney. "There's a place for military rifles, in competitions and other things. But they pose a danger to our city streets."

Because these are the same weapons that are used for war - one fought against our police officers every day. Between 2002 and 2006, the number of assaults against law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania increased 83 percent.

Yet the 3 million-strong NRA is unrelenting, putting its own selfish interests before those of every hardworking police officer in the country.

But the mayor is forging on, intent to make good on his campaign promise to cut the murder rate by 30 to 50 percent in three to five years.

And if that means pushing for the kind of assault-weapons ban that New Jersey and New York have in place, he'll push on.

"If we lived in a society where there was no crime, it would be a different story," Ricker says. "But we know these are the guns the criminals prefer.

"Why aren't we listening to law enforcement on this? Why do we continue to listen to the NRA?"

To read her recent work: http://go.philly.com/annette.