Where is Obama on guns?

[WilliamPitt]

I ask because a ouple of McCain-voting friends of mine seem to think his first day in office will involve illegalizing and confiscating every gun in the country. I've tried to explain that a) That's a hell of a single thing to base your vote on with everything happening, b) The Democrats are pretty sick of wrestling with the NRA and probably won't pick that fight either soon or later, and c) Obama, if he wins, is going to have one or two or sixty more pressing matters to deal with besides guns.

Has the man made any statements about his stance on gun ownership, or any plans he may have for passing gun legislation?

And yes, my friends are freaks. Don't ask. One is from western PA, and the other channels Ayn Rand for personal guidance. But they're fun to watch football with and stuff, so... ;)

[IndianaJones]

1. he's completely reasonable for this owner of multiple guns...from hunting to hand gun. nt.

[DeschutesRiver]

27. Same situation, and of the same opinion. I see no problems. nt

[Wickerman]

2. the Gun Forum has it pretty well covered.

I think most people down there believe that Obama, like Dick Cheney of long ago, has "other priorities".

[Dennis Donovan]

3. I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing he's for the assault weapon ban...

...and for closing gun show loopholes. Reasonable stances, IMO.

[benEzra]

20. Outlawing the most popular civilian target and defensive rifles in the USA isn't "reasonable."

Having said that, I think Obama is smart enough not to repeat the unmitigated disaster of 1994, when the DLC threw away both houses of Congress over silly restrictions on rifle handgrips that stick out. I am counting on an Obama administration NOT passing a new AWB.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

4. Just seconds ago, he reassured Ed Schultz's audience...

...that he supports the Second Amendment. Obama, unlike some who run for public office, knows the Constitution and both its strengths and the danger of people who irresponsibly abuse its protections.

[JuniperLea]

5. Obama has far bigger fish to fry...

What a dumbass reason to pick a president.

I'm on to more serious decisions. It's been decided in the X household that we will take a shot every time Obama wins a state. This doesn't mean you can't take a shot for good luck every once in a while;)

[WilliamPitt]

6. Jesus, you'll be dead before you reach the Mississippi.

I hope.

Not you being dead, of course, just...oh, you know.

:)

*swig*

[JuniperLea]

28. LOL!

Yeah, I hear ya.

I'm so fucking bipolar right now I can't stand myself!

:silly:

I blame Bush for my general mistrust of elections.

[Armstead]

7. William Pitt as a concern troll?

:)

[WilliamPitt]

I'm concerned about your concern.

:P

Check out the "Treasonous FR Post" thread that's on this page now. Scary stuff.

[Mojorabbit]

32. I have received

at least four or five robocalls from the NRA each day. They are really spreading the fear that he is going to tax ammo and restrict gun ownership. I don't know how they got my number except perhaps that hubby has a concealed carry license.

There was this story recently which is sad also re the person who started the Cooper rifle business which makes beautifully handcrafted rifles being ousted from his own company because they were overun by calls from freepers when he came out for Obama.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-30-gun-ceo-ousted_N.htm

While I have some concerns I am not a single issue voter and I think there would be years of lawsuits in the courts to settle any attempt to restrict firearm ownership. This country is in a world of shit financially, our infrastructure is deteriorating, we are losing two wars we can't afford, we need alternative energy and climate change issues dealt with. I will cross the gun thing bridge when we come to it. Hopefully he will respect all our constitutional rights.

[Morning Dew]

12. lol

But it didn't start with "My Aunt's 2nd cousin's Father-in-Law sent me this e-mail..."


JK, William Pitt. :)

[DevonRex]

8. The only thing I have to add is that he started a program with ATF

in Chicago aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of kids and felons. I'll try to find my ATF Newsletter that gives the details.

He believes gun ownership is an individual right but that more has to be done to enforce existing laws.

[rucky]

9. The NRA has more reason to scare its members...

than Democrats have for wanting to take anybody's guns.

[endthewar]

10. When Obama wins, everybody will realize that the Republicans lied.

They are mortgaging their political future and it will come back to haunt them.

[liberalmuse]

11. He's not going to ban handguns.

Though he has had that position in past years, but unless you are an urban dweller who owns an Uzi or assault rifle, he's not going to take away your guns. I think his position is very close to what Dean's was: ban assault weapons in the cities, make it harder for criminals and the mentally unstable to buy guns by requiring better background checks and closing gun show loopholes, while taking into account that a lot of people who live in rural areas like their hunting rifles, and distinguishing between the types of guns allowed in the cities vs. the guns allowed in the rural areas.

[benEzra]

21. It's not about hunting guns, it's about nonhunting rifles with modern styling, plus handguns.

Far more Americans own so-called "assault weapons" than hunt, as (1) 4 out of 5 gun owners are nonhunters, and (2) guns the repubs at the Brady Campaign call "assault weapons" are the most popular civilian target rifles and defensive carbines in U.S. homes.

Having said that, I do not think that Obama will try to outlaw "assault weapons." If he does, it will be another 1994 in 2010, or worse, and I think he is smarter than that. Biden might like to (and as a gun owner, I am NOT happy that he is on the ticket), but I think Obama has other priorities, and I am counting on that.

[Mojorabbit]

33. I am an urban dweller

who owns an uzi semiautomatic and what is termed an assault rifles and don't believe in cherry picking constitutional rights because of where one lives.

[Motown_Johnny]

13. he says he interprets the second amendment as a personal right,. I disagree. He is to far to the

right on guns for my taste, but I still support him 100%

[riqster]

14. Jim Webb is pro-gun, and he supports Obama nt

[Lumpsum]

15. If he gets a mandate, which I think he will...

...gun control will be very low on his list. His top priorities are new energy, the economy and the war.

Once those are taken care of, he can focus on gun control, drug laws, net neutrality, etc.

[ieoeja]

16. Obama has repeatedly stated that what works for the city does not always work in the country.

Obama knows this in part from the personal experience of living in a variety of regions throughout the course of his life. In the Illinois Senate race, where everyone really got to know him, he got a far better percentage of votes in the country than in the Chicago suburbs. In Iowa he did better in the rural counties. In New Hampshire he also did better in the rural counties, losing outright most urban areas to Hillary. In Nevada, Hillary carried Las Vegas Co with Obama winning every other county in the state.

Tell them that in those first four states where he spent months introducing himself to people, the rural people voted overwhelmingly for Obama enabling him to get the nomination.

[RamboLiberal]

17. Tell the numbnuts its not up to Obama

Its in the Congress hands not that Obama doesn't have a bully pulpit. As a Democrat I intend to fight the congress (and Obama if necessary) tooth and nail if they decide to go for any dumbass feel good legislation like they did under Clinton with the AWB. It did diddly except to make scary cosmetic features on guns banned, make grandfathered magazines holding more than 10 rounds expensive and get Democrats defeated.

I hope we have a lot more sensible Dems in Congress like Webb, Tester, Casey and many others who know guns and can write sensible gun laws. If we're wise we try to find some sensible Republicans in Congress, invite the NRA in and write some sensible laws that go after the criminals. And we fund programs that get the criminals with illegal gun ownership like that idiot that shot the Halloweener in SC off the streets. Get good anti-crime & anti-gang legislation, fund local police, good task forces and community/education programs for young people so they don't join gangs.

Obama can't just make a decree and ban guns. Dumbass scare mongers in the NRA and gun clubs!

[WilliamPitt]

19. Said that, too.

:shrug:

[Renew Deal]

18. Obama's not touching anyone's guns.

Besides the fact that he wants to be re-elected... He says that he's not taking anyone's gun away and I believe him.

[LSK]

22. why bother arguing with them about it, just go with it

I heard someone say Obama is going to take away cars too. Just go with it and go over the top so even they see how silly they sound.

Obama is a communist Al Queda marxist thats going to take away all guns, cars, and move into your house and tell you when to sleep and shit. After he blows it up.

Yeah thats the ticket.

:crazy:

[JohnnyRingo]

23. Obama can't take our guns, nor would I want him to.

Your friends already know what they don't want to tell you: They know there are now more guns in the US than people (really).

To see how a national gun confiscation program works, look to another country with a similar percentage of guns to people: Iraq.
How has gun control worked out there? Even under martial law and a much smaller scale of land area, the Iraqis remain heavily armed.

To screw with your friends, ask them how much .223 rounds cost now (if they can find any), and watch their expressions.
That's the bullet used in M4s, and the domestic allotment has been rationed to allow for the increased need in the Middle East. If tripling the cost of a box of bullets isn't a form of gun control, I don't know what is.

All other ammo has increased dramatically in cost as well because of the rising price of brass and copper, also due to 8 years of Republican policy.

Remind the John McCain is a "gun grabber" according to The Gun Owner's of America, who rate him an F-. He supports closing the gun show waiting period loophole, and wants mandatory trigger locks in homes.

http://www.gunowners.org/mccaintb.htm

Put that in their barrel and tell them to smoke it.

[apnu]

24. Obama on guns: You can keep them.

He said it plainly in his address on Day 4 of the DNC and its on his website. keep your guns, just increase and enforce back ground checks for criminal history and mental illness.

[progressivebydesign]

25. Umm. You're here asking US what Obama's stance on guns is?

You've been on DU as long as I have, and.. well.. I mean.. you've kinda had.. oh... a year and a half to find that out. You ask this today? That's just odd. I'm sure you'll find what you need via google or Obama's site.

[WilliamPitt]

34. Kinda been busy

and this is a topic that doesn't really affect me where I live.

Sorry if my timing irks you. Sorry if asking for info on DU offends your sensibilities.

Or something.

:eyes:

[-..__...]

35. I wonder if your friends realize that...

the MA State Legislature and the entire MA delegation to Congress is more of a threat to the 2nd amendment and the RKBA.
(I'm assuming they live in MA).

[Two Sheds]

26. "Doing something" about guns would accomplish nothing but destroying his mandate

He's too smart a politician for that. He's got plenty on his plate. The Economy, health care, Iraq, a new energy policy, and in his first year in office, he'll be replacing a Supreme Court justice.

[-..__...]

36. Hopefully...

any and all SCOTUS vacancies he nominates will support the Heller decision, and/or the 2nd amendment/RKBA.

The Chicago handgun ban case might take 5 years to reach the court (assuming they agree to hear it).

What makes a strong pro 2nd court a must is that a favorable ruling will result in the Heller decision applying to all 50 states... not just in DC.

[rl6214]

29. From the Obama/Biden and DNC websites

First from the DNC:
Firearms
We recognize that the right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we
will preserve Americans’ Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that
the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in
Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact and enforce commonsense
laws and improvements – like closing the gun show loophole, improving our background
check system, and reinstating the assault weapons ban, so that guns do not fall into the hands of
terrorists or criminals. Acting responsibly and with respect for differing views on this issue, we
can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children
safe.

And Now from the Obama/Biden website:
Address Gun Violence in Cities:
As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

[Wizard777]

30. Uuuuh, I think he would rather be behind a gun than in front of it.

[DefenseLawyer]

31. We won't need guns on the Collective Farms

or in the Re-Education Camps.

[IsItJustMe]

37. In five words or less. It's a local issue.