Obama continues to support AWB says Press Secretary Gibbs.

[jody]

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS, May 13, 2009

Separate topic. The National Rifle Association is going to meet this weekend. And they tout that their membership has increased 30 percent since the President was inaugurated. And they say that's because there is some palpable anxiety, legitimate or otherwise, that people have about their gun rights. I'd like you to address that generally. What does the White House think about that? What's erroneous or misguided about that particular impression out there? And more specifically, Senator Feinstein has committed publicly to bringing the assault weapons ban to the floor of the Senate and pursuing that legislatively this year. If that were to pass through Congress, would the President sign or veto that?

MR. GIBBS: I think the President's views on the support of an assault weapons ban, as he said in the campaign, are known. As we've been reminded repeatedly in this room, there's a lot of stuff on the docket, and I think the President, certainly in the recent trip to Mexico, covered his thinking on that.

In terms of increased membership at the NRA, I don't -- obviously, I'm not privy to their statistics. I think if you go back and look at the most previous presidential elections, I think the very same people that you might be talking to argued that stances cost Democratic nominees the change of being President of the United States. And I think this President articulated the viewpoint that he was a believer in the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, and I don't think -- I don't believe that his actions have denoted anything that would give the NRA members cause for concern.

Q Just to follow up on the assault weapons ban, you said yesterday you need a legislative vehicle to engage more directly in the question of "don't ask, don't tell." There's going to be a legislative vehicle on the assault weapons ban. If it gets there, what's going to happen?

MR. GIBBS: When you change the word "if" to "is," then we'll get into the hypothetica.

Gibbs confirms Obama's support for the 2nd but says he opposes those scary looking thingeys with pistol grips and barrel shrouds that the prohibition forces have misnamed assault weapons to mislead voters.

[billyoc]

1. Reinstate the AWB, I dare you.

Or STFU, Gibbs.

[DebbieCDC]

2. Blah blah blah

Put up or shut up. I'm getting sick of this shit.

[gorfle]

3. I'm not sure what to make of all that.

It's telling, I suppose, that Gibbs can't provide a direct answer to the questions. That tells me they are afraid to articulate any policy concerning firearms. That's good. The bad news is why they are afraid to articulate it - almost certainly it's bad news for the second amendment.

[jody]

4. IMO Obama is afraid to anger 84 million gun-owners who oppose AWB & afraid to anger AWB prohibition

forces such as the Joyce Foundation and Annenberg Foundation, members of the corporatist group, that financed his political career.

It's really a classic battle between We the People over individual rights who oppose AWB and corporatists who want to advance corporate rights while infringing upon individual rights and know that AWB is a step toward their goal of making We the People their serfs, lackeys, and servile toadys.

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. Obama can't decide which side of his mouth to talk about the issue from

I sort of expected the black John Kennedy. We are in danger of getting the black Jimmy Carter.