His approach to gun control has been fair and reasonable. He did receive an "F" rating from the Brady Campaign early in his first term.
However the conservatives failed to show any appreciation. They pushed the propaganda that Obama is a "gun grabber" who hid his true agenda during his first term and will change dramatically if reelected and will push for draconian gun control.
Obama was a politician from Illinois which is probably the most firearm unfriendly state in the Union. He would have little chance of being elected dog catcher in that state if he would have been pro-gun. I feel he modified his position when during his first campaign for the Presidency he traveled across our nation and was exposed to the fact that firearms can be used responsibly by honest citizens for sporting purposes such as target shooting, hunting and even legitimate self defense. This might have been an eye opening experience for him as in Chicago where firearm ownership is greatly prohibited such weapons are misused by the criminal element and gang members and tragedies result.
It is very easy to form a dislike for firearms when you know few examples of individuals who use them responsibly. It is also easy but foolish to associate firearm ownership with largely uneducated "rednecks." If you live in a "gun friendly" area of the nation you may know and even work with a large number of well educated individuals who own firearms. Your doctor, your lawyer, your accountant; your minister, priest or pastor, your dentist, your boss or your next door neighbor might own one firearm or a large collection of these weapons.
Obama did recently mention the possibility of another assault weapons ban if reelected. He faces a close election and this may have been an effort to solidify support from the very liberal portion of the Democratic party. Obviously conservative propaganda has guaranteed that Republican gun ownership will show up at the polls to vote for Romney. The simple reality is that passing another ban on evil looking semi-automatic firearms is impossible in the near future. In Congress most Republicans and many Democrats would oppose such a law.
I strongly support gun ownership but I personally distrust Republicans on this issue. It is true that they have successfully used gun control as a wedge issue to win many close elections. However Republicans have a nasty habit of selling out gun owners for political advantage. Even George W. Bush supported extending the assault weapons ban during his presidential campaigns.
Bush expressed support for some gun control measures, including the ban on assault weapons and laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of juveniles. But he said he did not believe the waiting period for the purchase of handguns that is part of the Brady Act does much good, saying he prefers instant background checks.
Source: Dan Balz, The Washington Post , Apr 25, 1999
*****
Q: You said if Congress would vote to extend the ban on assault weapons, that you’d sign the legislation, but you did nothing to encourage Congress to extend it.
BUSH: I did think we ought to extend the assault weapons ban and was told the bill was never going to move. I believe law-abiding citizens ought to be able to own a gun. I believe in background checks. The best way to protect our citizens from guns is to prosecute those who commit crimes with guns.
Source: Third Bush-Kerry debate, in Tempe AZ , Oct 13, 2004
http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/george_w__bush_gun_control.htm
Romney has a mixed record on gun control. Plus he lacks knowledge on the subject.
No new gun legislation; enforce the existing laws
Q: [to Obama]: In 2008, you stated you wanted to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
OBAMA: I believe in the Second Amendment. But weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence.
ROMNEY: Yeah, I'm not in favor of new pieces of legislation on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal. We of course don't want to have automatic weapons, and that's already illegal in this country, to have automatic weapons. What I believe is we have to do is to make enormous efforts to enforce the gun laws that we have and to change the culture of violence we have. And you ask, how are we going to do that? Good schools, to give people the hope and opportunity they deserve, and perhaps less violence from that. But let me mention another thing. And that is parents. We need moms and dads helping raise kids. ...emphasis added
Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate , Oct 16, 2012
***snip***
2002: I will not chip away at MA's tough gun laws
In 1994 Romney had supported firearms-control measures opposed by the National Rifle Association: the so-called Brady Bill, which restricted the sale of handguns, and the assault weapons ban. During the 1994 senatorial campaign he had taunted: "That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA." He reinforced his support for these measures when he ran for governor in 2002, when he promised not to chip away at the Commonwealth's tough gun laws. Now as a presidential candidate, Romney presented himself disingenuously as a lifetime member of the NRA and a hunter of "varmints," which prompted the acerbic Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi to write: "Leave it to Mitt Romney to shoot himself in the foot with a gun he doesn't own." ...emphasis added
http://www.ontheissues.org/2012/Mitt_Romney_Gun_Control.htm
(Fully automatic ARE legal for civilian ownership in most states but are far more tightly regulated than semi-auto firearms.)
I can understand how Obama might have modified his position but I feel Romney is basically firearm unfriendly but is trying to appear to be a strong supporter of gun rights.
On the gun control issue I support Obama. If the only issue I was interested in was much stronger gun control I would support Romney.
If Romney does get elected and abandons gun owners if another tragedy offers him that opportunity and pushes for another assault weapons ban, gun and ammo sales will continue to be strong.
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