Obama has famously (infamously?) long been enamored of the idea of fundamentally transforming America, and one of the foundational aspects of American culture that he has in his sights is the Second Amendment and Americans’ firmly held belief in their right to keep and bear arms.
His former attorney general, Eric Holder, went so far as to proclaim—back in the 1990’s—that “we really need to brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.”
At least he understood that it’s the American people who resist infringement of this right. The administration has tried to pass gun control legislation, most notably in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, but such attempts fail.
Completing missing the fact that Americans are strongly supportive of their right to bear arms, Obama and his assortment of anti-Second Amendment zealots blame the NRA:
"But the power of NRA and the gun lobby in Congress is formidable," Obama said. "And you know, we're going to keep chipping away at this, but until you get intense public demands for this, it's probably not going to happen because some special interests and lobbyists in Washington are really, really strong and their membership feels very intensely about the issue. Whereas the general public is concerned about it, but doesn't make it their top priority."
He also recognizes that Congress—even when Democrats held supermajorities in both houses—is unable to pass the sort of sweeping gun control legislation he seeks. In his 2014 State of the Union address, he promised gun control “with or without Congress,” and it seems he’s working on multiple fronts to make that happen.
From taxing bullets, to gun locks, to gun recalls / buyback programs, to targeting children’s pop-tarts and otherwise controlling the narrative about guns, Obama and other anti-Second Amendment advocates are working overtime in their frantic bid to disarm the American people.
Such measures are met with considerable push back even in deep blue states like Connecticut. In New York, D. C., and Oregon, citizens are engaging in civil disobedience, protesting, and otherwise signaling that they will not relinquish their weapons without a fight.
That, however, does not stop the ongoing assault on our Second Amendment rights. The Hill reports:
The Justice Department plans to move forward this year with more than a dozen new gun-related regulations, according to list of rules the agency has proposed to enact before the end of the Obama administration.
The regulations range from new restrictions on high-powered pistols to gun storage requirements. Chief among them is a renewed effort to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable or have been convicted of domestic abuse.
The new rules, The Hill, continues, are aimed at expanding the number of people who will be banned from owning a gun:
The Justice Department plans to issue new rules expanding criteria for people who do not qualify for gun ownership, according to the recently released Unified Agenda, which is a list of rules that federal agencies are developing.
Some of the rules come in response to President Obama's call to reduce gun violence in the wake of Sandy Hook. He issued 23 executive actions shortly after the shooting aimed at keeping guns away from dangerous people, and some of those items remain incomplete.
The “dangerous people” may include “a person who spanked his kid, or yelled at his wife, or slapped her husband," warned Michael Hammond, legislative counsel for the Gun Owners of America.
In addition to these “dangerous people” who cannot be trusted with a gun, the Obama administration seeks to include anyone who has ever had any problems with depression, anxiety, or even seen a psychologist. Considering the popularity of “seeing a shrink” and the over-prescription of antidepressants and other mood-enhancing drugs, this is a potentially sweeping change that will affect tens of millions of Americans.
"A person who experienced a temporary reaction to a traumatic event or who has trouble handling household finances may well be treated the same as a violent psychopath," the NRA wrote. “Not only is this unjust and stigmatizing, it creates disincentives for those who need mental health treatment to seek it, increasing whatever risks are associated with untreated mental illness," it added.
The same rationale used to disarm veterans of our armed forces is writ large. Consider: a 2011 Harvard study found a 400% increase in the number of Americans taking antidepressants in just over a decade. According to ABCNews, 1 in 10 Americans are using them. And that’s just antidepressants.
On the bright side: With each Obama push for gun control, gun and ammo sales skyrocket. He may not be good for the over all economy, but he’s a boon to the gun industry.
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