Voices
Ban of 2004. The NRA reacted
with forceful ads against him in
several states.
Ostensibly, the ads were directed at the president’s judicial
appointments, who are pro-guncontrol, but that is nonsense. A
few judicial appointments, even
on the Supreme Court, will make
very little difference to the issue
of gun rights since the legislative side is all but impotent. The
president himself has done almost
nothing during his four years to
promote gun control and has repeatedly expressed his support for
the Second Amendment. So why
is the NRA so nervous?
Perhaps it’s because the organization understands its enemy more
clearly than even his supporters
do, and they know the implications
of a second Obama term.
Gun control has always been a
no-win issue for Democrats. After all, with 90 firearms for every
100 Americans, it is clear that gun
owners form a very large voting
bloc in this country, and given the
passion with which a lot of them
love guns, and the extremism with
which some of them interpret the
Second Amendment, it is obvious
that any politician who advocates
gun control is gambling with those
SANJAY
SANGHOEE
HUFFINGTON
11.04.12
votes. As a first-term president
with a lot on his plate, including a
massive economic crisis, spiraling
healthcare costs, rising oil prices,
explosive unrest in the Middle East,
a catastrophic oil spill
and congressional
gridlock, not to menNot only
tion a reelection camis the NRA’s
paign, it is no wonder
campaign to
that Obama opted not
glorify guns
to add this particular
irresponsible,
issue to his agenda.
its opposition
But a second term
to even
is a different story.
common-sense
If Obama wins in
gun laws like
November, he will
background
be in an unusually
checks is
powerful position
blatantly
to take on the NRA
unpatriotic.”
and the issue of gun
control in a way that
has not been seen in more than a
decade. With no more campaigns
to fight and with two of his biggest commitments—the economy,
which is gradually recovering, and
the Affordable Care Act, which is
firmly in place—under control, the
president will be free to take action on this matter with boldness
and reason. His balanced view on
guns ensures that he would only
push for reforms that are critical
to protecting the safety of Ameri-