Gun issue represents tough politics for Obama

The Associated Press
By Erica Warner 

They are fuzzy about some issues but the Republican presidential candidates leave little doubt about where they stand on gun rights.

Rick Perry and Rick Santorum go pheasant hunting and give interviews before heading out. Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain speak to the National Rifle Association convention. Michele Bachmann tells People magazine she wants to teach her daughters how to shoot because women need to be able to protect themselves. Mitt Romney, after backing some gun control measures in Massachusetts, now presents himself as a strong Second Amendment supporter.

President Barack Obama, on the other hand, is virtually silent on the issue.

He has hardly addressed it since a couple months after the January assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., when he promised to develop new steps on gun safety in response. He still has failed to do so, even as Tucson survivors came to Capitol Hill last week to push for action to close loopholes in the background check system.

Democrats have learned the hard way that embracing gun control can be terrible politics, and the 2012 presidential election is shaping up to underscore just how delicate the issue can be. With the election likely to be decided largely by states where hunting is a popular pastime, like Missouri, Ohio or Pennsylvania, candidates of both parties want to win over gun owners, not alienate them.

For Republicans, that means emphasizing their pro-gun credentials. But for Obama and the Democrats, the approach is trickier.

Obama's history in support of strict gun control measures prior to becoming president makes it difficult for him to claim he's a Second Amendment champion, even though he signed a bill allowing people to take loaded guns into national parks. At the same time, he's apparently decided that his record backing gun safety is nothing to boast of, either, perhaps because of the power of the gun lobby and their opposition to anything smacking of gun control.

The result is that while Republicans are more than happy to talk up their support for gun rights, Obama may barely be heard from on the issue at all.

"Gun control is a fight that the administration is not willing to pick. They're not likely to win it," said Harry Wilson, author of a book on gun politics and director of the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College in Virginia. "They certainly would not win it in Congress, and it's not likely to be a winner at the polls. ... It comes down to one pretty simple word: Politics."

Administration officials say they are working to develop the gun safety measures promised after the Giffords shooting, and they say have taken steps to improve the background check system. White House spokesman Matt Lehrich says the White House goal is to "protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens while keeping guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them under existing law."

But when it comes to guns and politics, Democrats haven't forgotten what happened in 1994. That year, President Bill Clinton was pushing for passage of a landmark crime bill featuring a ban on assault weapons, and then-House Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., twisted Democrats' arms to get it through the House. Come November, Democrats suffered widespread election losses and lost control of the House and the Senate. Foley was among those defeated, and Clinton and others credited the NRA's campaigning with a big role in the outcome. And when the assault weapons ban came up for congressional reauthorization in 2004, it failed.

Given that history, the NRA expects to see Obama treading carefully on guns through 2012.

"It's bad politics to be on the wrong side of the Second Amendment at election time," said Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president. "They're trying to fog the issue through the 2012 election and deceive gun owners into thinking he's something he's not, which is pro-Second Amendment."

For gun control advocates, it adds up to frustration with Obama and the Democrats. The group Mayors Against Illegal Guns argues that polling shows voters support certain gun safety measures like stronger background checks — although a recent Gallup poll also finds more support for enforcing current laws than for passing new ones.

"Good policy here is good politics," said John Feinblatt, an adviser to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is a co-chair of the mayors' group. "Unfortunately, for too long the administration has bought the conventional wisdom" that gun control is bad politics.

But the NRA outspends gun-control groups by wide margins, and analysts say that when it comes time to vote, the gun issue is more likely to motivate gun rights activists than gun control supporters.

Since becoming president, Obama has been extremely cautious on the issue. In his 2004 Senate race, for example, Obama said it was a "scandal" that then-President George W. Bush didn't force renewal of the assault weapons ban. But Obama himself has done nothing to promote that issue since becoming president.

Obama's commitment to act on gun safety may also be complicated by an unrelated controversy over a Justice Department program aimed at stanching gun trafficking into Mexico. The government lost track of numerous weapons in connection with the program.

Obama has vowed to figure out what went wrong with the operation and make sure it's corrected, but with Republicans seizing on the issue to attack the White House, the politics around taking action on guns hasn't gotten any easier.

So for now, supporters who hoped to see Obama adopt a stronger stance on guns and act in the wake of the Giffords shooting look like they're going to be disappointed. "We haven't given up hope," said Dennis Henigan, acting president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, "but our impatience is growing with each passing day."

 

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Obama signed into law two years ago for concealed carry inside national parks. He's on the side of gun holders.

  • 17 votes
#1 - Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:56 PM EST
Comment author avatarROY WILSON-336103Expand Comment Comment collapsed by the community

"It comes down to one pretty simple word: Politics."

And with Obama, EVERYTHING is about politics, not what's best for America.

Strong leaders do what they think is best for the Country - weak leaders take a poll before taking a position. Obama is a very weak leader, who's only concern is getting reelected.

How sad.

  • 31 votes
#1.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:46 PM EST

All Americans living alongside Mexico should be armed and keep a bullet in the chamber.

President Obama should provide armed protectors in the homes of all ranchers and farmers who request them. All farmers and ranchers along the Mexican boarder should be supplied with bullet proof vests to wear while working in the fields, from the Gulf in Texas to San Diego in California. The President should provide for all border farmers modern weapons like machine guns and artillary to offset arsenals owned by the thousands of cartel crooks.

Each farm should be equipped with 10 drones armed with smart bombs suitable to splatter cartel crooks.

The President should lead. He should take agressive action to assure safety and peace of mind for all Americans now living in fear of death by gun along America's borders.

  • 20 votes
#1.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:03 AM EST
  • 19 votes
#1.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:36 PM EST

ROY WILSON-336103

Hi, Roy. You are one of many that think the Bush Cheney years did not exist.

Immigration, guns, Gays, abortion, sperm are people and those kinds of issues is what the far right have to offer. I fail to see how that is going to create a single job. That does not mean a Republican let down as they have not managed to create a single job.

  • 5 votes
#1.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:59 PM EST

The gun control issue will come back to hurt the administration.

Hillary signed the U.N. gun control treaty (bans all semi-automatic weapons in civilian use), Senate is 8 votes short of getting it out of committee, REMEMBER TREATY'S ARE SUPERIOR TO THE CONSTITUTION(art. 6 U.S. Constitution) if Senate would approve treaty it would rep-lace the second amendment of our Constitution, with regards to semi-auto weapons and amount of ammunition a person could posses.

Fast and Furious was a attempt to get legislation on gun sales, thew were trying to show how easy it was for anybody to purchase a weapon. it backfired in their face, since the gun shops were reporting the sales and asking for directions to prevent further sales, ATF, FBI Homeland security told them it was o,k, to make the sales, they knew something was up. (the whistle-blower lost his job, because he exposed what was going on)

  • 17 votes
#1.5 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:25 PM EST

Seriously, all Obama has done is INCREASE GUN RIGHTS.

  • 4 votes
#1.6 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:12 PM EST

Good for him! That is what he should be doing.

  • 10 votes
#1.7 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:18 PM EST
  • 17 votes
#1.8 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:27 PM EST

Everyone is missing the point. The NRA supports pro-drug cartels and gangs - and lobbys for laws that benefit them. A majority of their funding comes from that - just compare their annual filings with their membership rolls. Since the membership is not giving them $$, where does their $500M annually come from? The gun manufacturers are not that profitable, and the ultimate beneficiary of their lobbying are the gangs and cartels. Now they can buy weapons that can easily be converted to full-auto (yes, this is relatively easy), when Clinton had previously banned these weapons. And it is not just how the guns look - that old propaganda line is wearing thin.

So - the republicans support illegal drug cartels and inner city gangs. Gee - they are sure family friendly. And they are in the pocket of the NRA.

Next will come the thousands of posters who will claim (with zero facts) that I am wrong. In spite of all the evidence. But hey - the Republicans believe that anyone with money is their best friend. And the gangs and cartels have a lot of money. What the suckers don't bother to see is not the republicans (or NRA's) problem.

  • 5 votes
#1.9 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:41 PM EST

Don’t anyone be deceived. Obama would, if he could, confiscate every gun in America. During a March 30, 2011 meeting with Sarah Brady, Obama stated;

"I just want you to know that we are working on it," Brady recalled the president telling them. "We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar."

Staunch anti-gun Representative Carolyn McCarthy (NY-D) received that same reply when she asked Obama why he wasn’t proposing any anti-gun legislation.

The real agenda of operation Fast and Furious was to fabricate a justification for enactment of additional anti-gun legislation.

I think the American people should be very afraid if Obama somehow prevails in the 2012 elections. Taking away everyone’s guns is only the beginning of what he and his leftist cronies have planned.

Interested Observer 1.9

There are meds for your condition, and if they aren't effective, there's always that jacket that zips up from the rear.

  • 23 votes
#1.10 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:47 PM EST

interested observer - Where are your facts? All I see in your post is opinion. Show me one fact that the cartels and gangs are supporting the NRA. The NRA supports the laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Why would the cartels and the gangs contribute to an organization that wants law enforcement to take away illegal guns?

Just like most gun-control fanatics - you confuse your opinions with facts and skew, or take out of context, the real facts to fit your agenda.

  • 26 votes
#1.11 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:59 PM EST

So...drug cartels, which are pretty much illegal to begin with, are cool with smuggling illegal substances, killing innocent civilians on both sides of the border, dealing drugs on the streets of any country they can (which are quite illegal in most), but they're so concerned about firearms that they're lobbying to keep the guns legal? I just don't get it...

  • 10 votes
#1.12 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 5:29 PM EST

Say it: FAST AND FURIOUS.

Again: FAST AND FURIOUS.

Mr. Obama has MANY domestic and International policy political negatives and not just his, and his DOJ, involvement in Fast and Furious. Everything he and his administration does/has done only creates discourse and division between the American people. Mr. Obama has continued to divide America with his Class Warfare attacks and community organizer policies using his NO COMMON SENSE approach.

So, more restrictions on gun control is a minor issue causing Mr. Obama to be a ONE-TERM President. His overall performance in ALL domestic and International areas as President is lower than .......(you fill in the blank).

Finally: Fast and Furious.

Wait a minute: Solyndra, Weatherization, Cash for clunkers, Cash for appliances, HAMP #1, HAMP #2, Stimulus #1, Stimulus #2, Finland Electric Car, ......etc......

  • 20 votes
#1.13 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 5:41 PM EST
Comment author avatarinterested observerExpand Comment Comment collapsed by the community

I love those who cannot think for themselves. They are unable to research anything. They are incapable of retrieving public documents (as I have done). They are not smart enough to compare P&L statements on file with the SEC and IRS (as required by law). But they believe the lies that they are told because they 'know that the lies are really the truth'.

NVArt: All you have to do is actually look up the information - as I have done. Please try to do this. NRA publishes their annual report - as required by law for all lobbying group. Every gun manufacturer in the USA also files their annual financial reports - as required by law. Compare the numbers, then ask yourself where the NRA gets all their extra money. And since they don't disclose it - one can speculate as to the source. By the way - you can also search the SEC database for NRA donations and see how much legitimate businesses give to the NRA. And the numbers still come up massively short. So --- what conclusions can be drawn? I know ... this is too hard. It hurts one's brain to draw conclusions that may cause cognitive dissonance. But try --- this is known as thinking.

  • 2 votes
#1.14 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 5:49 PM EST

@Roy,

Then with all the back peddling the Republican candidates have been doing issue after issue, it doesn't look like we'll have a strong leader from the right side of the aisle either.

  • 2 votes
#1.15 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:02 PM EST

Hey Roy, spot on post. I voted for him. And THEN.............He

1.Bailed out Wall street & insurance giants, and let them have bonuses. And now the middle class will have to sacrifice to pay for it. In fact, the working class are still getting steadily poorer whilst the rich get even richer.

2.Actually asked Iraq to keep our troops there. His campaign promise was to get them all out.

3. Pro Union then goes pro nafta type trade agreements.

4.Universal public health option ? ....well didn't happen. Now we have the insurance company/Senate written bill.

5.See him get tough with China like he said in the Campaign ?? Yea, I missed it too.

I would like to see a real democrat run against him. Or see Hillary quit , and run.

Many of his base see him as a closet corporate Republican.

  • 3 votes
#1.16 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:30 PM EST

Don't trust OBAMA , VOTE REPUBLICAN in 2012 !!!!

  • 12 votes
#1.17 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:37 PM EST

Johnny N:

The only ones I'd even consider, will not get the nomination. Huntsman & Romney (in that order). The evangelicals will not vote for them.

Ron Paul is really a Libertarian , not a Republican. I do agree with him on some constitutional issues.

  • 3 votes
#1.18 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:50 PM EST

Don't trust REPUBLICANS, VOTE FOR OBAMA IN 2012!!!!

  • 5 votes
#1.19 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:59 PM EST

wet willy... obvious by your posting how you got that name .. a sucker is born everyday happy birthday

    #1.20 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:49 PM EST

    Kinda funny Roy gets collapsed for saying something totally accurate .........even us Democrats see it........................Is this Obama's personal blog? Or just a lack of tolerance towards opposing views???

    Hillary, quit and run.

    • 5 votes
    #1.21 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:27 AM EST

    The NRA and its supporters have done this country a great disservice. Through their campaign of fear and intimidation they have caused a huge increase in the number of hand guns and assault weapons in our country. This has not resulted in a safer society. Instead it is now very easy for those who should not have weapons that are designed for the sole purpose of killing other people to have those guns very cheaply. Congratulations to the NRA.

    • 1 vote
    #1.22 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:05 PM EST

    interested observer

    "Everyone is missing the point. The NRA supports pro-drug cartels and gangs - and lobbys for laws that benefit them. A majority of their funding comes from that - just compare their annual filings with their membership rolls. Since the membership is not giving them $$, where does their $500M annually come from? The gun manufacturers are not that profitable, and the ultimate beneficiary of their lobbying are the gangs and cartels. Now they can buy weapons that can easily be converted to full-auto (yes, this is relatively easy), when Clinton had previously banned these weapons. And it is not just how the guns look - that old propaganda line is wearing thin.

    So - the republicans support illegal drug cartels and inner city gangs. Gee - they are sure family friendly. And they are in the pocket of the NRA.

    Next will come the thousands of posters who will claim (with zero facts) that I am wrong. In spite of all the evidence. But hey - the Republicans believe that anyone with money is their best friend. And the gangs and cartels have a lot of money. What the suckers don't bother to see is not the republicans (or NRA's) problem."

    Always enjoyable reading a rant from someone who has to make things up, pretending it is truth, yet presents zero evidence to back it up.

    Where did you get the $500 mil annually # from?

    I am a gunsmith and it is not easy to convert modern semi-autos to full auto. That is a myth perpetuated by those who know nothing about gunsmithing.

    The NRA's members are from across the political spectrum - I am a democrat.

    Gun makers are enjoying record profits and sales since Obama was elected - not because he is pro-gun but because everyone knows he is the most anti-gun president ever.

    The concealed handgun bill meant nothing. Obama knows that. Few crimes are committed in National parks and the ones that are are not committed by law abiding people. He threw out a bone in hopes of a bait and switch. only the gullible don't see it.

    And back to your first statement - please show any evidence you can that shows drug cartels donate to the NRA. You can't because it is not true. Nothing in your rant is true. I would bet you are afraid of guns because you don't understand that they are only tools.

    • 10 votes
    #1.23 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:42 PM EST

    don97524

    "The NRA and its supporters have done this country a great disservice. Through their campaign of fear and intimidation they have caused a huge increase in the number of hand guns and assault weapons in our country. This has not resulted in a safer society. Instead it is now very easy for those who should not have weapons that are designed for the sole purpose of killing other people to have those guns very cheaply. Congratulations to the NRA."

    "Fear and intimidation." You must be confusing them with the Black Panthers. More guns, especially concealed carry, have produced less violent crime. The Justice department stats prove this. Murder is at a 30 year low yet there are more guns than ever. If you eliminate the stats from the gangbanging druggies, mostly in minority 'hoods' killing each other because of their own stupidity, America's violent crime rate is as low as nearly anywhere in the world.

    I personally own more than 50 guns and have fired around 500,000 rounds of ammo. Not for killing people, but for sport.

    The problem is not guns. The problem is two fold. Idiots who use guns for crime, and idiots who blame guns for the actions of idiots. You should try to remove yourself, thru education, from those 2 groups.

    Maybe you should read up on the history of the NRA and what it has done to train people in the proper and safe use of firearms. No anti-gun group has ever promoted either. Their mantra is banning a right and don't seem to have a clue what an armed populace does in protecting the freedom of all, including the ignorant.

    • 7 votes
    #1.24 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:59 PM EST

    ROY WILSON-336103 Comment collapsed by the community

    ""It comes down to one pretty simple word: Politics."

    And with Obama, EVERYTHING is about politics, not what's best for America.

    Strong leaders do what they think is best for the Country - weak leaders take a poll before taking a position. Obama is a very weak leader, who's only concern is getting reelected.

    How sad."

    Yes, it is sad when the left collapse the truth. It shows only that they will stoop so low that even they want to restrict freedom of speech, unless it fits their purpose of getting a poser reelected.

    • 8 votes
    #1.25 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:06 PM EST

    interested observer - I didn't ask you to speculate or to draw conclusions. I asked you for proof that the drug cartels and street gangs are contributing to the NRA. Yet all you can come up with is that the NRA is required by law to provide that information that you then turn around and say they don't disclose. So which is it?

    I didn't feel a need to look up the financial records of the NRA because I concluded that criminals wouldn't be caught dead contributing to them. I would speculate that that would be like them contributing to the Policeman's Ball.

    • 8 votes
    #1.26 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:14 PM EST

    :)

      #1.27 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:42 AM EST

      LMAO......Obama is not for gun ownership.

      • 2 votes
      #1.28 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:57 AM EST

      Obama like all the rest of the Progressives want to totally eliminate gun ownership in America. They just can't run on that platform because mainstream America is completely against that unconstitutional policy. That will not stop Barack from putting that policy in place if he can get away with it. Like everything else about the Progressive agenda, they have to lie and obfuscate it to try and trick the general public.

      • 4 votes
      #1.29 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:21 PM EST
      Reply

      And it's just like the abortion issue... the average American does not care one hoot about the gun rights issue... or abortion.... or gay marriage.... or any of those other "core GOP cares"... they care about jobs... and the GOP has no idea.....

      • 9 votes
      Reply#2 - Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:26 PM EST

      OK I am an independent , and you just said republicans have no idea , EXPLAIN TO ME WHY Obama a Democrat refused to sign the keystone pipe line deal , and please know your facts about the pipe line , The most advanced pipe line in the world , 20,000 private sector jobs , and North American oil which we need ,

      THEN explain to me what is wrong with the 22 jobs bills already passed by the republicans , private sector jobs , approximately 2 million permanent jobs , not the temporary jobs Obama and the Democrats are sporting

      WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE BILLS

      Now I have e mailed both my democratic senators asking them to explain this to me in detail ,THREE TIMES I have sent them E-mail , NO RESPONSE nope notta none , And please know your facts about these bills ,

      One of these senators I voted for ,but I will not again ,They are supposed to work for me ,and I want answers ,as to why these jobs bills were tabled with out discussion ,

      AS a independent that looks at facts your statement about the GOP is nothing but CRAP

      • 25 votes
      #2.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:37 AM EST

      "THEN explain to me what is wrong with the 22 jobs bills already passed by the republicans"

      I am sure the GOP sent those so called jobs bills to the CBO for an estimate of how many jobs they would create. No? Why not? I'll tell you why. They are not jobs bills.

      • 7 votes
      #2.2 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 9:54 AM EST

      Commander

      If that were true, wouldn't it behove Reid to bring them to the floor, expose them for their uselessness and soundly vote them down?

      Could his refusal to even allow them to be brought to the floor, instead could it be that they are reasonable, commonsense, affordable ways to get our economy back on track, without raising ANYONES tax base? He clearly could not allow anything like that to appear could he?

      As for Obamas stance on gun control, I think the actions of Holder and company, to create a gunrunning operation and then attempt to use their own actions to point out the need for it, is one of the few "transparent" actions of his entire administration!

      • 11 votes
      #2.3 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:50 AM EST

      "As for Obamas stance on gun control, I think the actions of Holder and company, to create a gunrunning operation and then attempt to use their own actions to point out the need for it, is one of the few "transparent" actions of his entire administration!"

      Your conclusion that Holder and Obama wanted to use the FF case as anything is just unproven BS.

      • 4 votes
      #2.4 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:40 PM EST

      Darrel - you actually need to read these bills to understand why they are opposed. Reducing taxes for the rich (while eliminating middle class deductions) was embedded into several of these bills. Shutting down Social Security & Medicare was in a few other of those bills. I am glad that you support gutting the middle class and elderly to ease the suffering of those poor rich people.

      If you read the bills instead of being a paid shill for the republican party - you would actually learn something and understand what is in the best interests of this country. Killing off the middle class and creating a 2 tier system - the rich and the 'serf underclass' - does not align with what I spent 20+ years fighting in the military for. And if you believe that this is best, then you need to be ready for a repeat of history. I suggest that you study European history for the 1600 - 1900 time frame. Specifically France. A large population with nothing to lose tends to be a violent population. And there are not enough private security guards to protect the rich in this scenario.

      • 5 votes
      #2.5 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:53 PM EST

      according to the PA fish and game commission only 10% of PA residents get a hunting license ... 10% of PA residents are animal rights activists ... the other 80% dont care one way or the other .. as a gun owner I have never seen legislation from the democrats or the republicans that would do anything except make me register my guns .. never seen legislation that would require me to give up my guns ..I have received calls from the NRA telling me that all democrats are anti gun and want to take my 2nd amendment rights away .. then they ask for $$money ..

      • 3 votes
      #2.6 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:56 PM EST

      independent jim,

      The first step in any gun control state, is to have the existing guns registered...

      Another is to register the people that carry their weapons...

      Once this has been accomplished, then collecting the weapons are easy...

      Remember what happened in NO after the hurricane...

      One thing many people are over-looking...

      The way to control guns is through regulating access to ammo...

      Guns do not wear-out, but ammo has a shelf-life, cartridges can only be re-sized/reloaded a certain number of times, and primers used once...

      What was the local hunting supply telling people after Obama was elected???

      "Sorry, but we are out of that kind of ammo..."

      • 3 votes
      #2.7 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:19 PM EST

      Ammo may have a shelf life,but that life may be used up sooner if Congress tries to ban ammo or guns.Gun control is not an issue right now as much as jobs and prosperity are.Nobody in D.C. gives a hoot about your prosperity,or mine,rather their Buds,and themselves.I just fired off an e-mail to my House Rep in Congress,and gave them a piece of my mind.You should all give it a try.The more we voice our disgust the more our voices will be heard.Insider trading amongst the Congress makes them rich,and would put me in the slammer,as it did Martha Stewart.Now,has anyone got a rope,because I have found a good tree.

        #2.8 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:43 PM EST
        Reply

        Obama's been a political pragmatist since being elected. The triumph of the NRA has been to convince the beltway that even the lightest, most reasonable regulations of firearms are a non-starter. As a result, Obama and other politicians shy away from the issue entirely rather than risk spending political capital on a failure, which only further strengthens the NRA's air of invincibility. Combine that with a Supreme Court that views almost any kind of effective firearms restriction as a violation of the second amendment, and they haven't just won the political game; they've convinced the other team that it's not even worth showing up.

        • 3 votes
        #3 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:29 AM EST

        It is not really up to the SCOTUS to tell the government how to act regarding the people's right to be armed. That job was done over two-hundred years ago. If the govermment forgets then it has to be reminded. If you want to change the constitution then amend it - if you can. This is not about political "teams" but about fundamental rights.

        • 10 votes
        #3.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:15 AM EST

        Joe D.Glenn

        "It is not really up to the SCOTUS to tell the government how to act regarding the people's right to be armed. That job was done over two-hundred years ago. If the govermment forgets then it has to be reminded. If you want to change the constitution then amend it - if you can. This is not about political "teams" but about fundamental rights."

        Unfortunately, Obama loves to use executive orders to circumvent the constitution.

        If he gets reelected, God save us, he will complete his plans to destroy America, starting with the second amendment. He and the dems have already wasted trillions of $ for nothing, while pretending they are for the people. Latest CBO report shows that the stimulus did little to help America. And tax payers are stuck with Chrysler and GM stock that no one wants to buy.

        • 5 votes
        #3.2 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:58 PM EST

        A well-regulated militia has that right, Joe. Your individual access to it has always been in question.

        • 1 vote
        #3.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:13 PM EST

        A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

        It doesn't help that the wording itself is vague. Personally I support background checks at all points of sale. I would even support having to take a safety class before being allowed to purchase a gun and limiting certain types of ammunition, but I wouldn't support banning private ownership.

        • 1 vote
        #3.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:34 PM EST

        Nathan get your pal OBAMA to enforce the more than 22,000 gun laws on the books !!! Like I've said before , if using a gun in a crime 20 yrs mandatory no parole , they'll be using slingshots tomorrow !!!! Let my taxes pay to keep loved one safe, put them in jail w/ serious time !!!!

        • 3 votes
        #3.5 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:06 PM EST

        Toasty just don't get it , or he's just playing possum, back in the day ALL citizens i.e. general public, were the militia and they had meetings and drills etc. .The RIGHT of the PEOPLE TOASTY get it ?

        • 5 votes
        #3.6 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:11 PM EST

        No, Johnny, they weren't. Open a history book.

        • 1 vote
        #3.7 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:58 PM EST

        I thought you burned books Toasty , you're afraid of the truth !

        • 4 votes
        #3.8 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:49 AM EST

        Johnny,

        That amendment was written when people lived days away from the nearest town, and the "redcoats" or "injuns" could literally break down your door, with zero warning, and attempt to take your property or lives. Today, we have things like instant communication, advanced warning systems, organized law enforcement... I really have no problem with guns, it's the wacked out, illogical, arguments people use in defense of them. Fear mongering that's put forth by the NRA, because it stirs up the "unwashed" ignorant masses.

        • The best "self defense" tactic, is to lead a law abiding life. The odds of you ever having to use a gun for defense drop dramatically when you're not exposing yourself to crime.
        • Who are these representatives in our government that you need a gun to protect your liberty from? How are they planning on getting around our systems of checks and balances? Why are they out to destroy the very source of their power (as in the government). Are they planning on using our military against us? Why would the military be okay with that? If not, why wouldn't we use our military against them?
        • If guns are sooo necesarry to secure our safety, why have multitudes of people never owned them, and lived long and happy lives?

        Listen, guns make us feel sexy, macho, and powerful, they don't make us any safer or protect our freedom. I'm sorry, you missed that era in American history. If you wanna own a gun, that's great, but please enough with the ridiculous arguments.

        • 1 vote
        #3.9 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 3:03 PM EST

        alright then why don't you go live an the ghettos part of a big city like new york and own no gun see if you feel safe then you idiot because guess what people still break into houses to take property or lives

        I mean just wow you are incredibly dumb

          #3.10 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:03 PM EST

          GOP , SARAH must be a BLOND OWS college kid, otherwise their is no explanation for her statements. My sister-inlaw who is an intelligent but trusting blond has been mugged twice and her house robbed once and we live in the suburbs of Boston !!!! The Liberals just don't get it and by and large are brainwashed fools !!!The Democrats belong to a cult ,HA HA. Responsible gun owners are your friend Sarah, their are multitudes of gun laws on the books , throw the criminals in jail for 25 yrs no parole for using a gun in a crime and you won't have gun crime anymore !!!!Their are bad people in the world Sarah and you are lucky if you never meet one !

          • 1 vote
          #3.11 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:54 PM EST

          Wow, what assinine assumptions. Actually, I spent about five years as an in home social worker, on call 24/7 in (gasp) Detroit. Ergo, I would go to places like the east side at Harper and Cadieux, or Highland Park, at night, by myself, unarmed and guess what... The worst thing that ever happened was my hubcaps got stolen.

          So GOP, you may assume whatever you like about my intelligence level. And I will continue to assume that you're paranoid, and perhaps making up for your lack of confidence and feelings of ineptitude through gun ownership and slinging insults at people you know nothing about. Does it make you feel like a "real man"? You know what a respectable human would've done, instead of assuming and insulting they would've actually addressed the questions I presented. Are you not capable of that?

          And, by the way, I'm a brunette.

            #3.12 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:22 AM EST

            Oh yes, and Johnny,

            I really love personal stories, told by strangers on the internet and used as "evidence" to back up their point. Because it might, MIGHT, have happened to some strangers, relative/friend, that means it's a universal truth, correct??? Well I once had a buddy, who was kidnapped by Chewbakka, and flown to Neptune, where a council of pagan Gods told him guns aren't necessary. So there, guns must not be necessary.

            And, there's a difference between correcting assumptions strangers made about you, by offering them insight into your life, which they can choose to discard if they want to, and using an irrelevant, most likely made up, single personal experience as evidence to "prove" your position correct without answering a single question or putting forth any kind of unbiased data. And then, going even further, to use that position to as a basis for insulting someone.

            You see, if I hadn't corrected the assumptions made about my life, I'd still have evidence and a point, and a bunch of questions you guys can't answer. With out your "story" what would you have?

              #3.13 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:18 PM EST

              Le Sigh...

              I guess I've just got more guts then you two. Seeing as I'm brave enough to experience the world without a firearm to protect me from the boogie man. I've made it 30 years, my mom's made it 60, my aunts and uncle's between 50-60, my cousin's between 25-35, my sister 33, my grandma 87...

              Yep, I must come from a long line of exceptionally tough, brave people, that we've managed to all live this long without a gun. I wonder how many other people have pulled off this miraculous feet???? I mean, how common can levels of courage this high be??? It can't be a normal thing to be able to survive without a handgun, can it???

              • 1 vote
              #3.14 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:28 PM EST

              Seeing as I'm brave enough to experience the world without a firearm to protect me from the boogie man.

              You mean stupid enough fine you just rely on the goverment and if a disater like Katriana hits near you don't come crying to me when you get mugged

              Actually, I spent about five years as an in home social worker, on call 24/7 in (gasp) Detroit. Ergo, I would go to places like the east side at Harper and Cadieux, or Highland Park, at night, by myself, unarmed and guess what... The worst thing that ever happened was my hubcaps got stolen.

              visting isn't the same thing as living their and just because you've survived this long doesn't mean it would be good for the rest of the world to follow your stupidity have fun in liberal la la land maybe one day you can find reality

              • 1 vote
              #3.15 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:14 PM EST

              A SOCIAL WORKER !! AH HA that says it all. The world is such a pretty place, we don't need to defend our life or property ? Believe me I could snap the neck of anyone trying to mug me but I prefer the easy way ! And by the way that story about my inlaw, it's true and the perps were all minorities !

              • 1 vote
              #3.16 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:16 PM EST

              Johnny you know a dumb lib well interpet that last staments as racism since that's all the care about race way to go libs you destroyed martin luther kings jr's dream about a COLORBLIND society

                #3.17 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:43 PM EST

                Just stating all the facts GOP , just the facts.

                  #3.18 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:46 PM EST

                  I know but she won't understand

                    #3.19 - Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:58 PM EST

                    I'd be willing to bet, you two are middle to low managment, in lack-luster marriages, and perhaps used to dream of entering some "macho" profession, but couldn't physically cut it. You probably catch crap from your bosses and wives all day long, but are too pansy to stand up for yourselves, so when you get on line (where you can safely pretend to be tough, seeing as, well, it's online) you talk a big game and let out all that futility and frustration out. Does it make you feel less inconsequential? Less pathetic?

                    You know, the point of these vines, isn't to compensate for your lack of spine in the real world. It's to address and discuss the issues, which apparently you two aren't capable of. I mean, I did post a whole slew of questions and issues that I requested someone address in my first post, and both of you have yet to answer a single one. What, did you guys accidently blow your b$*lls off with those guns you love so much? Is that why you don't have the guts to address the issues and can only throw around the typical, ignorant, redneck, tripe that you're posting?

                    Here's what, why don't you two take your guns. And your Bibles. And your tri-corn hats. I'll buy you some land in Montana somewhere in the mountains, and you can hide from the gay, Mexican, Muslim, socialists that are coming to chew up your babies and sh(#$ out your flags, with all the rest of the paranoid, cowardly, nut jobs.

                    Oh, and GOP, you'd be the last person I'd run to in the case of a natural disaster. For two reasons, really... First, I'd want someone on my side that wasn't dependant on a gun, because your ammunition would eventually run out you know, and then I'd be right back up sh(#% creek. Ergo, I'd make sure to align myself with a real man, one who doesn't need to depend on weaponry or ammunition because he has the greatest weapon of all. A brain. And, two, survival of the fittest and natural selection kills the stupid ones off first, so you'd already be dead.

                    • 1 vote
                    #3.20 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:50 PM EST

                    a real man, one who doesn't need to depend on weaponry or ammunition because he has the greatest weapon of all. A brain.

                    if he isn't smart enough to get a gun I doubt he has much of brain

                    so you'd already be dead.

                    see as being smart enough to have a gun I would be able to take out anyone attacking me as far as running out ammunition I don't just how many criminals you expect me to run into since when traveling by foot I carry 400 shells

                    traveling in a a car 2000 and at home 10000 so I can kill a lot of criminals if the situation arises but there is no I way I am going to have kill a hundred people to survive but in that situation I could easily end up needing to shoot five people but if your to stupid and brainwashed to understand since your just throwing is stupid insults you hypocrite does make you feel better that your failing at life see I used your bs talk against you

                    where you can safely pretend to be tough, seeing as, well, it's online) you talk a big game and let out all that futility and frustration out. Does it make you feel less inconsequential? Less pathetic?

                    anyone who use that kind of insulting rhetoric must be pretty insecure see what I did I used your type of bs against you do you get how stupid you sound yet

                    Montana somewhere in the mountains, and you can hide from the gay, Mexican, Muslim, socialists that are

                    socialism is proven failure I could care less about what gay people do in their bedrooms I think it is perverted but whatever sure give them civil unions whatever and I have always gotten along with muslims that I meet ah typical left wing bull@!$%# of jumping to conclusions you have nothing but jump to random conlusions about me and can't debate the issues so I give up what kinda of drugs are you on

                      #3.21 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:06 PM EST

                      LIBBIES think all gun advocates are rednecks , and hate all gay , Muslim and other minorities, and Sahra I provide a decent quality of life in a fine home and have children graduating college and another following his father in the construction trades . Real men work with their hands and their brains and treat our women w/ respect and slapdown those that need it !

                      • 1 vote
                      #3.22 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:05 PM EST

                      Still waiting for you two to address the issues... Yawn. Cowards. Jeesh, I must've really hit close to home on that last one, huh??? Did I come a little too close to the truth, for your comfort?

                      Here are the issues again, can you address them????

                      1. Is there some unbiased/unskewed data about the liklihood of law abiding citizens needing to use a gun legally in self defense. Then find me some unbiased/unskewed data that shows me how guns deter crime, or are a proactive solution.
                      2. Explain who these "government officials" are that I need to be protected from. Why would they destroy the source of their own power? Why would the military cooperate with them? If they aren't trying to use our military against us why wouldn't our system of checks and balances catch them? How would they then take away our freedoms?
                      3. You carry a gun to protect you from the possibility of some cataclismic natural disaster? You're more likely to drop dead, with no warning, from a heart attack, so do you also travel with an AED?

                      You know, GOP (or should I call you Rambo), if you don't like insulting rhetoric, perhaps you should refrain from calling strangers "idiots" and "stupid". I mean, you don't find it hilarious that you have the gaul to insult my intellegence, but have yet to address a single issue I presented in that first post??? You just can't wait for that apocaylpse can you? Maybe then you'll get to prove your manliness???

                      And, Johnny, I don't think you're a redneck because of your gun advocasy, I think you're a redneck because of what you post. Redneck is a state of mind, you could live in a mansion for all I care, you'd still be a redneck.

                      slapdown those that need it !

                      Lol, seriously??? Yes, what a "real" man you are, threatening to slap a woman (online no less). I'm fairly sure that you wouldn't have the guts to even say that to a woman's face, let alone do it. I'm also still putting my money on you being impotent, both physically and metaphorically, seeing as any man with an iota of confidence would never in a million years say that.

                        #3.23 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 10:21 AM EST

                        You think because we find your logic on the gun issue patently simplistic , and we let you know it in simplistic terms , somehow I'm Impotent? Do you die your hair brunette ???

                        • 1 vote
                        #3.24 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 3:55 PM EST

                        Sorry for the spelling of dye , oops.

                        • 1 vote
                        #3.25 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 6:13 PM EST

                        You find it simplistic, but don't explain how. You didn't respond to a single issue I brought up, all you did was insult. And I think you're impotent because of the garbage you post about slapping women down if you think they need it, and the calling people "blond" and overall being nasty to people you don't even know. All of which speaks to you being afraid to discuss the issues, afraid that I'm smarter, and cathartically attempting to be tough in a situation where you'll never have to actually prove it, ergo releasing all the sh($ you swallow during the day onto people who you know can't really effect you. You feel impotent metaphorically because you have no control in your life, I'm willing to bet your wife has you whipped, and impotent physically probably due to a midlife crisis or dysthemic depression.

                        Real men, if they found my view simplistic, would've first explained why, then asked me to explain my position further, then expressed their views and answered my question. They wouldn't have thrown random insults out and a generic "your views are simple" with no explanation why they think that or argument to back that thinking up.

                          #3.26 - Fri Dec 2, 2011 2:58 PM EST

                          Can't convince Libbies like you that YOUR thoughts are dangerous to all of our freedoms so BYE -BYE . Living in your own world !

                          • 1 vote
                          #3.27 - Fri Dec 2, 2011 3:29 PM EST

                          wow you are increadinly dumb and brainwashed what he said is "treat our women w/ respect and slapdown those that need it !" He wasn't referring to women he was talking about just any thug you dumbass see the part about respect the thing no one will ever give someone like you

                            #3.28 - Fri Dec 2, 2011 3:56 PM EST

                            Again, all insults, no substance. You literally can't answer anything I presented can you? And no, GOP, you're wrong, he was referring to women, seeing as he didn't correct that assumption.

                            Really, you aren't capable of discussing a single issue???? You raise the standard for stupid.

                              #3.29 - Mon Dec 5, 2011 10:13 AM EST

                              Sarah you presented buppkis, just mindless LIBERAL drivel that all see as immature ranting !!!

                                #3.30 - Mon Dec 5, 2011 4:46 PM EST
                                Reply

                                let the anties push to elect anti-gun canadates; whoops wait -thay cant get elected

                                • 3 votes
                                Reply#4 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 1:42 AM EST

                                THE BOTTOM LINE if Obama ain't for preserving our second amendment rights , his SILENCE is a strong indicator is against preserving our second amendment rights WHICH IF THE SOCIALIST COMMUNIST DEMOCRATIC PARTY WANT TO CONTROL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE they must control our guns ,

                                The Newt — Obama debates are going to make history as the greatest debates of all time , THE SUPER BOWL OF DEBATES

                                • 9 votes
                                Reply#5 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:54 AM EST

                                Gingrich? Step away from the pipe.

                                • 3 votes
                                #5.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:16 AM EST

                                Newt helped write Reagan's handgun ban on Federal land which Obama repealed, Get a clue??

                                • 3 votes
                                #5.2 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:11 AM EST

                                Bo-1925019

                                "Newt helped write Reagan's handgun ban on Federal land which Obama repealed, Get a clue??"

                                Get a clue? Maybe you should. Reagan never banned handguns on federal land. I challenge you to show otherwise.

                                • 4 votes
                                #5.3 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:39 PM EST

                                Darrel Segers

                                As far as we can determine, Obama has done nothing to stop gun ownership.

                                I think even a moron would understand we can't have fools and retards having guns. I'm a progressive and own 5 guns, A 7mm auto, a 12 gage pump, a 22 rifle, a 5 shot 38 speacial revolver originally for my wife when we lived in a danger zone, and a collectors old military 45 revolver which I'm giving away to my son.

                                My two hand guns are setup so they will appear to come from nowhere if needed. My early military training makes me a responsible gun owner. How do you feel about having laws that require having some training to own a gun or do you think some a hole out of a mental hospital shoud be able to buy one anytime anywhere?

                                • 1 vote
                                #5.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:11 PM EST

                                Pippo,

                                Well said. 8 years military here and 13 armed security with quarterly qualifying.

                                  #5.5 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:55 AM EST

                                  Background checks are designed to keep gun buyers honest.However,if you want more backbone in the background checks,the NRA will support keeping crazies from getting guns.Heck yes!The problem lies when lawyers try and define" crazy".Remember,Congress has a lot of lawyers,and they don't have anything on crazy people.Now,Houston,we do have a problem!

                                    #5.6 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:52 PM EST

                                    We must remember not "all" Dems are for more gun control laws. That includes some that were electcted to congress.One reason this Admin. is going under the radar to try to take control. I am an Independent so I can vote for whom I feel is best suited for the job, Dem. or Rep. People, don't lump "All" under one umbrella. Shows you think your opinion is the only one that is right.

                                    • 2 votes
                                    #5.7 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:40 AM EST
                                    Reply

                                    Obama has been showing lately that he will support anything that he thinks will get him re-elected !! After the election last time he he went back on many of his " promises " . Will he do the same this time?? Probably!!

                                    • 5 votes
                                    Reply#6 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 4:57 AM EST

                                    Obama has completely over 85% of his campaign promises to Democrats in less than 3 years, He promised Conservatives NOTHING.

                                      #6.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:13 AM EST

                                      Bo-1925019

                                      "Obama has completely over 85% of his campaign promises to Democrats in less than 3 years, He promised Conservatives NOTHING."

                                      I call bs. Back up your statement or be a liar.

                                      • 3 votes
                                      #6.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:34 AM EST

                                      The house easily passed the National Right To Carry Bill and we will see shortly who votes in the Senate to approve it or shoot it down....

                                      Keep a close eye on the Bastards who would vote this down for they will be the ones out of a job come next election.

                                      Make your voice heard come 2012 and vote out any jerkoffs who stand against our founding fathers ideals.

                                      • 2 votes
                                      #6.3 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:18 PM EST
                                      Reply

                                      FACT, Republicans are the only party to ever ban any gun and have been caught several times writing gun restrictive laws (and then voting against them) while attempting to blame the bill on Democrats, Fearmongering and lying, The Republican way to get votes

                                      Obama has refused to extend the assault rifle ban (which prompted the Tea Party to carry assault rifles)
                                      Obama repealed Reagan's ban on handguns on Federal land (which prompted a Tea Party open carry rally)

                                      • 1 vote
                                      Reply#7 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:08 AM EST

                                      On September 13, 1994, Bill Clinton (D) signed into law the assault weapon ban. Quit watching Chris Matthews and get your facts straight...

                                      • 8 votes
                                      #7.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:48 AM EST

                                      Bo

                                      Here is a list of BANNED Handguns in the State of Ca. Notice that there are Revolvers and 22's on the list.

                                      http://content.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/California-removed-guns.pdf

                                      I don't think that Ca. has a Republican legislature. So when a Liberals says "We wont take your GUN RIGHTS away"they are LYING. Ca. has Done it!!

                                      • 9 votes
                                      #7.2 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:31 PM EST

                                      slodon,

                                      What is the reasoning for pulling certification for these guns?

                                      The only thing they really have in common is that most appear to be snub nose.

                                        #7.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:10 PM EST

                                        "Effective January 1, 2001, no handgun may be manufactured within California, imported into California for sale, lent, given, kept for sale, or offered/exposed for sale unless that handgun model has passed firing, safety, and drop tests and is certified for sale in California by the Department of Justice. Private party transfers, curio/relic handguns, certain single-action revolvers, and pawn/consignment returns are exempt from this requirement."

                                        This is taken from the California Ofice of the Attorney General website and gives a good clue into the reason why these particular weapons have been decertified. Simply put, they're attempting to take away your right to own firearms that aren't safe to use. I'm not sure that rises to the level of taking your GUN RIGHTS away.

                                          #7.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:36 PM EST

                                          California laws just rise to the level of stupidity. Why does it matter if you are shot with "an unsafe gun" or one blessed by the California Office of the Attorney General?

                                          • 3 votes
                                          #7.5 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:06 PM EST

                                          No difference at all Cornmeal. But this safety regulation, which we don't have here in Illinois, would seem likely to reduce the chance that you would be accidently shot. Being intentionally shot is a different question altogether.

                                          I was just answering John's question regarding the reason for the decertification of these particular handguns while addressing Slodon's implication that this regulation is an attempt to infringe on Second Amendment rights.

                                            #7.6 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:32 PM EST

                                            Firecat

                                            The GP-160 was OK by State Standards until 2009. I guess it is Illegal now since Ruger quit making it. But I STILL CAN'T OWN A USED GP-160.

                                              #7.7 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:57 PM EST

                                              Yea but didn't CA just outlaw your 2nd Amendment right to open carry? Very progressive state.

                                              • 2 votes
                                              #7.8 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:59 AM EST

                                              I live in Cali and let me tell you our guns are like Cuba's cars old models it's completely stupid and it's lost revenue for the state 8( very few new models make it and that is just pathetic 8( but we are talking about California once a great state now nothing but an overcrowded over taxes @!$%# hole, and getting worse day by day.

                                              Please make sure to send emails to your senators and let them know to pass the National Right To Carry Bill that just passed the House 8) it will help us Californians and New Yorkers join the rest of America 8)

                                              Both states only issue to politicians, movie stars and elite citizens otherwise if you are a normal citizen you get cut off.

                                                #7.9 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:21 PM EST
                                                Reply

                                                Bo,

                                                Your statement above is factually inaccurate. Out of Obama's top 25 promises, here is the breakdown: A. Promises kept - 6
                                                B. In the works - 9
                                                C. Compromise - 3
                                                D. Broken - 6
                                                E. Stalled - 1

                                                These numbers do not look like 85% to me.

                                                Source: www.politifact.com

                                                 

                                                • 7 votes
                                                Reply#8 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:49 AM EST

                                                I think it's important to note that a fairly large proportion of the promises Obama has broken represent actions that he promised that required Congressional actions that have little or no chance of passing given the make-up of the present House of Representatives and the relatively new requirement that all laws be able to garner a 60% majority in the Senate. As such, it might be more fair to say that these are things he failed to accomplish more than broken promises although I'll admit that I'm nit-picking to a degree.

                                                • 1 vote
                                                #8.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:42 PM EST

                                                Nice try Firecat. Obama and the dems could have passed anything they wanted to pass for 2 years yet they didn't. The only things in his first 2 years that got passed was a pork filled health care bill and a stimulus package that didn't work.

                                                • 4 votes
                                                #8.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:19 PM EST

                                                BOB: Ah, the Right can't help but keep perpetuating this myth that Democrats had full control of Congress for the first 2 years. Were it only so, we would have gotten some real legislation passed instead of having one the worst expamples of a "do nothing Congress" in many a year.

                                                You see Bob, because your party has taken the cynical decision to block anything and everything Democrats propose, in the hopes of tanking the economy, virtually nothing has gotten through Congress. Your party quite consciously decided to take the filibuster rule which had always been used very sparingly in the past, and make a mockery of it by invocking int constantly. Having a simple majority gets you nowhere in the Senate, nor for that matter, having 59 votes. Your party has seen to that. Rarely did Democrats have a clear 60 vote majority, particularly after the illness of Ted Kennedy.

                                                I really do wish your crowd would cease making this bogus claim which is patently false and can be easily confirmed.

                                                Oh, and one other thing smart guy. The CBO, as in Congressional Budget Office just released their report and stated emphatically that the stimulus package did indeed work and that things would be far worse had Democrats not invoked it. The only crime is that Obama could not pass a package double the size of this one. Had we done so, things would be far, far better today. I do realize how badly you want Obama to fail, even if it means destroying our economy but the CBO is a NON PARTISAN group and has no axe to grind. Read it and weep fella.

                                                • 1 vote
                                                #8.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:53 PM EST

                                                hey ozzie if democrats didn't have control how did the healthcare act pass nice try but as usual you have been completly ignorant

                                                • 2 votes
                                                #8.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:20 PM EST

                                                Yea and if Obama and the Demoncrats could have passed a larger stimuls/bail out package, just means the executives would have gotten bigger bonuses.

                                                • 1 vote
                                                #8.5 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:03 AM EST
                                                Reply

                                                Mutt, Slimey and Herky and clowns have been lipping this for years and ya know what?: I still have my concealed carry permit and a Glock 27 .40 cal. that I am well trained to use but do not carry-I still have the right too if I so choose. These people been eatin' too much post debate pizza.

                                                • 2 votes
                                                Reply#9 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 9:46 AM EST

                                                Obama could care less how many guns you want to own or buy. Knock yourself out.

                                                Just remember that most crimes are committed with weapons stolen from otherwise lawful gun owners.

                                                Don't be careless. Carry it or lock it in a safe.

                                                Why do some people want rights but no responsibility?

                                                • 2 votes
                                                Reply#10 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:06 AM EST

                                                Why do some people want rights but no responsibility?

                                                Strange that a lefty would ask a question such as this.

                                                • 7 votes
                                                #10.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:10 PM EST

                                                Strange a GOPtard that can evaluate more than a three word sentence.

                                                • 1 vote
                                                #10.2 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:44 PM EST

                                                Wow LCDR, I actually agree on this one with U.

                                                  #10.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:52 AM EST
                                                  Reply

                                                  I'm getting a gun for wife as a Christmas present. She is currently taking gun safety lessons and target practice. She asked me for the gun because times have changed and she does not feel safe. It is really sad that one cannot feel safe in the United States of America.

                                                  • 4 votes
                                                  Reply#11 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:04 AM EST

                                                  What are you going to get her? I have a Taurus .357 it's a "girl gun" it only holds 5 rounds but it's light weight and being a revolver it'll never jam, I highly recommend it.

                                                    #11.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:06 PM EST
                                                    Reply

                                                    Obama let the bush ban on assult weapon expirer! Yes today you can buy about any type gun you want. But jobs is the real issue, also a women right to choose. Many gays in the military are married but republican want to stop them. Because they are control freaks.

                                                    • 1 vote
                                                    Reply#12 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:06 PM EST

                                                    truthteller

                                                    You are NOT telling the truth. You can not buy any type of gun you want. You can not buy a machine gun without the proper permits. You can not buy a Ruger GP-160,a REVOLVER,in Ca. You can not buy an ASSAULT RIFLE,it is by definition an AUTOMATIC RIFLE. Here is a list of Handguns you CAN NOT BUY in Ca.

                                                    http://content.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/California-removed-guns.pdf

                                                    • 3 votes
                                                    #12.1 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:56 PM EST

                                                    I forgot to mention that it WAS NOT the Bush Assault Weapons Ban it was the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban.

                                                    If you are a truthteller you need to get you TRUTHS in order.

                                                    • 7 votes
                                                    #12.2 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:04 PM EST

                                                    In any case, folks, the California gun ban didn't come from DC, it came from the knuckleheads right there in Cali. So, righties...lets try REAL hard not to blame the president for that, K?

                                                      #12.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:30 PM EST

                                                      Slodon, please see my comment 7.4 above.

                                                        #12.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:52 PM EST
                                                        Reply

                                                        Those guilty of armed violence should be put away for a very looooonnnnnngggg long time. Catch and release is for fish not criminals ! Throw away the key and let them die in prison.

                                                        • 1 vote
                                                        Reply#13 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:07 PM EST

                                                        .....

                                                          Reply#14 - Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:52 PM EST

                                                          Looks like another victory for the gun huggers. They have ruined our cities, ruined the lives of thousands or people, just so they can pretend that America is out of the old west.

                                                          • 1 vote
                                                          Reply#15 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:01 AM EST

                                                          Did you really just say that in public?

                                                          • 7 votes
                                                          #15.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:34 PM EST

                                                          whuck,

                                                          This is what happens when the clueless think out loud.

                                                          • 8 votes
                                                          #15.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:16 PM EST

                                                          Go back and finnish the fourth grade,then get a life.If Blacks and Mexicans didn't kill each other over drugs,you wouldn't have even 1/10 the gun violence you've got today in the cities.They can't teach people how to live together,aparrantly.About 50% of blacks drop out of school.I would guess that Mexicans are no better.What are they becoming besides welfare beggars and dope sellers?Oh,don't leave out pimps and prostitutes!Now,don't tell me that your city gun violence is my fault.You raised them to be model citizens,and they are just wonderful.Don't even blame gun violence on the people that don't believe murder is a high school sport.

                                                          • 1 vote
                                                          #15.3 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 11:29 PM EST
                                                          Reply

                                                          what a nonsensical article, The Democrats can hate guns all they want and the Republicans can love them, it's a moot point we have the 2nd amendment it will never go away.

                                                          • 1 vote
                                                          Reply#16 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:08 PM EST

                                                          You've got it wrong, jemu. The gun rights guys want to believe it still IS the Old West, unaware they want to return to the imaginary Old West. You see this in NRA types popularizing the destruction of the James and Dalton gangs as a good reason for walking around packing heat, when in actuality the citizens of Northfield and Coffeyville didn't walk around town armed. These were the pre-FDIC days where bankers frequently skipped town if they couldn't pay off the depositers, so the hardware store owner would hurriedly issue his entire stock of weapons to the citizens to save everybody's funds, including his own, and THAT is how the gangs got blown away. A better version of this would be-"don't rob the bank next to the hardware store."

                                                          The gun nut guys are like most of the politically conservatives I've seen. They want to return to the imaginary past, not the real past, so when they are successful, everybody winds up in the real past, which went by the wayside because things were such a mess that they were untenable.

                                                          • 1 vote
                                                          Reply#17 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:21 PM EST

                                                          WOW, now that is some serious LSD your taking.

                                                          • 7 votes
                                                          #17.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:47 PM EST

                                                          "The gun nut guys are like most of the politically conservatives I've seen."

                                                          Just a different choice of protection.

                                                          Conservatives like guns.

                                                          They tend to be a bit more accurate than the weapons of choice for liberals.

                                                          Bottles and rocks.

                                                          To be completely fair, I know quite a few liberal gun owners as well.

                                                          • 5 votes
                                                          #17.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:35 PM EST

                                                          I believe the 2nd amendment is there for a reason. I could recite a historical occasions where the weak were slaughtered by governments gone amok. Germany in the 1930's, is the lowest hanging fruit in that argument.

                                                          I'm a democrat, and have been referred to as a socialist, on this blog.

                                                          Nice to know profiling is alive and well by the simple minded. Makes me proud to vote for Democrats??? Don;t think so. SP4 your just the mirror image of the Limbaugh right. We seriously need more parties in our democracy, if this is what we have to choose from.

                                                          • 4 votes
                                                          #17.3 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:20 AM EST

                                                          It should be a rule that if you didn't graduate from high school you can't vote or voice your opinion.Now,go have a baby to increase your income.Good day.

                                                            #17.4 - Mon Nov 28, 2011 11:32 PM EST
                                                            Reply

                                                            Obama is worried about more than politics, he is worried about his health. Remember what happened to MLK, RFK, JFK, Giffords...all guns. The people who love guns are really in love with them...as in lust. Read a hunting magazine and you will see how they love "the lead spurting out of the barrel." They are the kind of folks who have a lot of fear, a lot of need to dominate. They enjoy ending the lives of animals that posed no threat to them. I feel sorry for anyone who tries to stand up to the gun lobby.

                                                            • 1 vote
                                                            Reply#18 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:23 PM EST

                                                            For clarification Karl are you a vegan? If not then you are a hypocrite. You have no problem with the killing of animals so you can eat as long as someone else does the killing and you can continue to spout ridiculous statements. If you are a vegan, more power to you in living your convictions. They are your convictions however.

                                                            • 3 votes
                                                            #18.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:35 PM EST

                                                            John, the vegan argument is a red herring. The issue is not whether humans by necessity have to eat flesh to survive. It is the enjoyment of killing, going out into the habitat of other species and ending their lives because the hunter thinks it is recreational. Putting the antlers on the wall, drinking beer, proving that you are a tough guy. You know as well as I do that most gun lovers who hunt do not do it because otherwise they starve. It's a "sport." And the other gun lovers fit the profile I already explained: fearful, love of power, lustful for the lead shooting out of their barrels. I am no hypocrite. And yes, I do everything possible to avoid harming any sentient being, which includes not eating flesh products.

                                                            • 1 vote
                                                            #18.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:06 PM EST
                                                            Reply

                                                            Nathan, what most reasonable regulations?? especilly any of them that don't violate our Second Amendment??

                                                            • 1 vote
                                                            Reply#19 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:25 PM EST

                                                            Until I can walk through crack town and not get mugged, robbed or killed I am going to keep carrying my self defense weapon. Looks like a long time.

                                                            • 4 votes
                                                            Reply#20 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:26 PM EST

                                                            This just like the other GOP talking points (abortion, religion, gays and guns) certainly get old year after year. Your GOP base of rightwingers is still going to vote for you if you are white, believe in destroying the Middle Class and run on your "good morals"..........So just say these issues dont really matter and get on to talking about no corporate taxes, moving jobs out of the country, destroying unions, lowering taxes even more for the wealthy, destroying social security and support for our elderly and how to spend even more on our over funder defense programs.......Oh yes and the best way to start another War or two.

                                                            • 2 votes
                                                            Reply#21 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:36 PM EST

                                                            Shhh, take your meds and go back to sleep.

                                                            • 5 votes
                                                            #21.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:50 PM EST

                                                            Were you born ignorant or did you have to work at it?

                                                            • 2 votes
                                                            #21.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:56 PM EST
                                                            Reply

                                                            Every issue, not just guns, presents challenges for a man such as Obama who just doesn't quite understand Americans very well.

                                                            • 10 votes
                                                            Reply#22 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:47 PM EST

                                                            If Democrats are smart they will keep their mouths shut about gun control.

                                                            • 3 votes
                                                            Reply#23 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:54 PM EST

                                                            More than enough gun laws for the people that don't break the law. How about some stricter laws against banker/political/corporate/oligarchy/kleptocracy/criminal corruption? Death penalty, treason, Gitmo come to mind. Oh I'm sorry those weren't examples of laws, just the punishment! Lets worry about the real dangers to the American way of life. Legal gun ownership is not one of them!

                                                              Reply#24 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:05 PM EST

                                                              Obama and the Democrats are cowards. How many times have you heard the words “gun control” and “amnesty” the last five years. These are two issues the Democrats want badly, but were never brought up during the two years they had the White House, the House and the Senate. I dare the Dems to give what the left wingers want.

                                                              • 2 votes
                                                              Reply#25 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:06 PM EST

                                                              Left wingers want a decent wage for a hard days work. Health care, if they are sick or injured whilst doing so. Social Security & Medicare, since they paid into it for DECADES.

                                                              Amnesty? yea there's a lot of Republicans being out bid by illegals on construction jobs and lawn maintenance bids. Your 1% just want cheap labor.

                                                              And guess what, some of them Democrats can out shoot you.

                                                                #25.1 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:38 AM EST

                                                                Scar - news flash buddy.... conservatives want decent wages as well, affordable health care, SS and Medicare. What is needed is a congress that can pass a budget and tighten the belt - neither party is able to do it. Both parties have raided SS and left IOU's, what a joke!

                                                                Amnesty? I guess only republicans own construction companies and lawn maintenance services... don't be a hypocrite!

                                                                I'm certain there are democrats that can 'out shoot me'... what's that supposed to mean??

                                                                Answer these three questions and you'll find out what you really are:

                                                                1. How do you feel about gun control?

                                                                2. How do you feel about taxes?

                                                                3. How do you feel about abortion?

                                                                • 4 votes
                                                                #25.2 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:48 AM EST
                                                                Reply
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