“He tried to legislate through executive order by saying that anybody who sells a firearm, even if it’s to your family member or to your close friend, that you are now a gun dealer and now you must get a license to sell guns, which means you would have to do background checks for these purchasers through the federal system”, Sharpe, who identifies as a libertarian and runs the Students for Rand club, said.
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My hat’s off to President Obama for taking on the gun lobby.
The president then took part in a “town hall” meeting hosted by CNN in which he was confronted by his critics on the subject.
The change in dynamic is a reflection both of the broader leftward shift of the Democratic Party under Obama and the progress that he and other gun-control advocates have made in pushing back against the NRA following the wave of mass shootings in recent years. After all, criminals don’t obey the law; that’s why they’re called “criminals”. There is reason Gun Owners of America has endorsed me in this race.
“The Second Amendment is not an option”.
While fear of the government’s actions is often painted as paranoia, it is fruitful to remember that the nation’s top fear-the prohibition and confiscation of guns-is an outcome that this administration is actively, if covertly, pursuing. They also didn’t mention that Obama signed legislation in 2009 that expanded gun rights by letting people bring firearms in national parks, a move that so disturbed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence that the group gave him an “F” grade the following year. Another 13 percent were undecided. Forty-seven percent say stricter anti-gun laws will have no impact, while another 15 percent believe stricter laws will increase violent crime. Democrats are fighting to pick up Republican seats in a number of swing states with a strong tradition of supporting gun rights, including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Only hunters should own guns, not weak-minded showoffs.
Such figures show a stark disconnect between the president’s views and the attitude of the majority of Americans. And he’s disappointed that his legacy may be nothing more than the mild executive actions he unveiled. In this rationale, he explained, gun policy is an ideal issue for GOP candidates to woo conservative primary voters without “burning bridges” with other constituencies – specifically, moderates and independents – should they win the nomination and head on to the general election.
In the SOTU, President Obama says he left an empty chair for victims of gun violence, but the question many are asking- ‘Is how do they get the guns out of the hands of wrong people, without infringing on the rights of those who are buying them legally?’ That’s not correct. Such “one-off” private gun sales would be unaffected by Obama’s proposals. Americans head for their local gun shop and buy another gun or two. In his speech, Obama said he plans to “invest $500 million to expand access to treatment across the country”.
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That bill is now in place, and Obama appears to believe he no longer needs to bargain with Republican leaders, who are focused on winning November’s election.
