How Would You Grade Obama On Gun Control?

Shortly after Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, was gunned down, President Obama made a point to stress the importance of gun control. During this time, Obama also vowed to make strides, within his administration, to take more concrete measures in efforts to decrease gun violence. Five months later, critics have say they have yet to see any legislation to back up his promises and the issue of gun violence has all but been ignored.

More than five months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head, the White House has yet to take any new steps on gun violence, even though that’s what President Barack Obama called for in the wake of the shooting.

The silence from the administration is drawing criticism from gun control activists and even some of Obama’s Democratic allies. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., told the president in a letter last week that the administration “has not shown the leadership to combat gun violence.”

It’s in keeping with Obama’s general stance on gun issues since taking office: Outspoken earlier in his political career in favor of tougher gun measures, he’s treaded carefully since becoming president, almost never raising the topic except when asked and offering, at most, tepid support for legislation he once embraced, such as re-enacting a ban on assault weapons.

More than five months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head, the White House has yet to take any new steps on gun violence, even though that’s what President Barack Obama called for in the wake of the shooting.

The silence from the administration is drawing criticism from gun control activists and even some of Obama’s Democratic allies. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., told the president in a letter last week that the administration “has not shown the leadership to combat gun violence.”

The Justice Department deliberations began in March, after the president broke his usual silence on guns in an opinion piece in Giffords’ hometown newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star. In it, he called for “a new discussion on how we can keep America safe for all our people.”

Even then Obama steered clear of ambitious declarations, timelines or goals, but he did call for “sound and effective steps” to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, including strengthening background checks. Obama said that “if we’re serious about keeping guns away from someone who’s made up his mind to kill, then we can’t allow a situation where a responsible seller denies him a weapon at one store, but he effortlessly buys the same gun someplace else.”

But doing that would require legislation, and the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups are adamantly opposed. The NRA has not been involved in the Justice Department talks, but the National Shooting Sports Foundation has, and a spokesman said that when they met at the Justice Department, gun-control measures didn’t even come up.

“The topics discussed at the meeting were limited strictly to improving and enhancing the current background check system,” said spokesman Ted Novin, explaining that closing the gun-show loophole would amount to expanding the system, not improving it, and his group doesn’t support an expansion.

“No gun-control measures of any kind were discussed during the meeting, nor would this organization support any such proposals that would curtail the lawful commerce of firearms or the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” Novin said.

Well, we definitely see enough gun violence in this country and it’s blind to class and economic status so it’s clear that gun control needs to be regulated across the board. The second amendment could use some tweaking – maybe bare arms all you want in your home but enforce stiff penalties for being armed in public? Something! How would you grade President Obama on gun control and what kind of impact do you think it will have on his re-election?

Thoughts?

Source