Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: Assault Weapons Ban supporter wins presidency, crushing NRA-backed right-winger!!! [View all]aikoaiko
(34,169 posts)137. Let's review what the President actually said about the AWB, shall we?
From the last debate:
MS. CROWLEY: Because what I want to do, Mr. President stand there for a second, because I want to introduce you to Nina Gonzales, who brought up a question that we hear a lot, both over the Internet and from this crowd.
Q: President Obama, during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, you stated you wanted to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. What has your administration done or plan to do to limit the availability of assault weapons?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, were a nation that believes in the Second Amendment. And I believe in the Second Amendment. You know, weve got a long tradition of hunting and sportsmen and people who want to make sure they can protect themselves.
But there have been too many instances during the course of my presidency where Ive had to comfort families whove lost somebody, most recently out in Aurora. You know, just a couple of weeks ago, actually probably about a month, I saw a mother who I had met at the beside of her son who had been shot in that theater.
And her son had been shot through the head. And we spent some time, and we said a prayer. And remarkably, about two months later, this young man and his mom showed up, and he looked unbelievable, good as new. But there were a lot of families who didnt have that good fortune and whose sons or daughters or husbands didnt survive.
So my belief is that A, we have to enforce the laws weve already got, make sure that were keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill. Weve done a much better job in terms of background checks, but weve got more to do when it comes to enforcement.
But I also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters dont belong on our streets. And so what Im trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced, but part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence, because frankly, in my hometown of Chicago, theres an awful lot of violence, and theyre not using AK-47s, theyre using cheap handguns.
Q: President Obama, during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, you stated you wanted to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. What has your administration done or plan to do to limit the availability of assault weapons?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, were a nation that believes in the Second Amendment. And I believe in the Second Amendment. You know, weve got a long tradition of hunting and sportsmen and people who want to make sure they can protect themselves.
But there have been too many instances during the course of my presidency where Ive had to comfort families whove lost somebody, most recently out in Aurora. You know, just a couple of weeks ago, actually probably about a month, I saw a mother who I had met at the beside of her son who had been shot in that theater.
And her son had been shot through the head. And we spent some time, and we said a prayer. And remarkably, about two months later, this young man and his mom showed up, and he looked unbelievable, good as new. But there were a lot of families who didnt have that good fortune and whose sons or daughters or husbands didnt survive.
So my belief is that A, we have to enforce the laws weve already got, make sure that were keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill. Weve done a much better job in terms of background checks, but weve got more to do when it comes to enforcement.
But I also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters dont belong on our streets. And so what Im trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced, but part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence, because frankly, in my hometown of Chicago, theres an awful lot of violence, and theyre not using AK-47s, theyre using cheap handguns.
That tepid half sentence is the only verbal support I've seen from the President in the last four years. I'm pretty sure he is going to continue to treat the AWB and other guns bans as bad ideas for the next four years. Heck, his stated "goal", such as it is, is simply to reintroduce -- not pass -- an AWB.
I'm delighted that President Obama won, but gun controllers didn't. In fact, gun controllers seeking an AWB probably would have done better with Mittens because he would have needed to move tot he center.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
156 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Assault Weapons Ban supporter wins presidency, crushing NRA-backed right-winger!!! [View all]
DanTex
Nov 2012
OP
You are actually the first I have seen who has made any statements like these:
ThatPoetGuy
Nov 2012
#5
it is Not that rights have limits, it is That rights have Responsibilities.
Tuesday Afternoon
Nov 2012
#109
You've either got a memory problem, or your pants are on fire. Which is it?
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2012
#127
There is no "gun violence epidemic" - That is a myth being pushed by authoritarian extremists
slackmaster
Nov 2012
#9
No it isn't; it's just more reported by the media. Mass murder is indeed down. n/t
Decoy of Fenris
Nov 2012
#11
The headline on that piece is disingenuous. "Not down" does not mean the same as "up."
slackmaster
Nov 2012
#94
The Washington Post recently cited some actual research that debunks that claim
slackmaster
Nov 2012
#16
Actually, it's a statistical reality recognized by leading public health experts.
DanTex
Nov 2012
#15
Whatever anyone else says, the FBI's hard numbers show crime rates decreasing
slackmaster
Nov 2012
#17
Interesting. I see that even you understand that what you are saying is so preposterous
DanTex
Nov 2012
#59
No, I just figured you'd alert and, failing that, run to Meta to cry about it.
Decoy of Fenris
Nov 2012
#65
I was talking about the extent of the gun violence epidemic when you entered the conversation.
DanTex
Nov 2012
#107
You converted a complex phenomena into a black and white cartoon with guns as the main villain
hack89
Nov 2012
#113
There's also plenty of evidence that shows gun ownership doesn't matter.
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2012
#121
Any time you include suicides in this discussion you've just lost the debate.
Atypical Liberal
Nov 2012
#42
Because I'm not going to allow what someone chooses to do to themselves affect ME.
Atypical Liberal
Nov 2012
#53
Then why do these countries with stricter gun laws have higher suicide rates than the US?
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2012
#117
He doesn't give a shit about non-gun suicides or traffic deaths- they don't help his case.
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2012
#122
By your lights, President Obama has a "silly grade-school understanding of civil liberties"
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2012
#130
It is a mental health issue (suicides) and a criminal justice issue (violent crimes)
hack89
Nov 2012
#39
not quite, it is a couple of ideolouges and departments who get grants from from
gejohnston
Nov 2012
#32
Odd. "Public Health Law Research" finds all of his proposals inconclusive.
Decoy of Fenris
Nov 2012
#37
Repeatedly asserting is not "making clear", no matter how *you* feel about the subject.
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2012
#123
All that means is there will be a HUGE run on guns and ammo, stimulating the economy
rl6214
Nov 2012
#48
The NRA sunk millions into the election, calling Obama the most anti-gun president ever.
DanTex
Nov 2012
#98
"and start to do something about the 30,000 people who die every year from gun violence"
EX500rider
Nov 2012
#144