WASHINGTON — President Obama will formally announce the most aggressive and expansive national gun-control agenda in generations Wednesday as he presses Congress to mandate background checks for all firearm buyers and prohibit assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.
The announcement will set off a fierce confrontation with Congress over an issue that has riven American society for decades. Obama’s far-reaching firearms agenda has at best tepid support from his party leaders and puts him at odds with Democratic centrists.
Comments
It's tragic that the three proposals specifically about guns here (assault weapon ban, large magazine ban and tighter background check requirements) all are favored by a majority of Americans, yet Mr. Rucker's description of the proposals as "the most aggressive and expansive national gun-control agenda in generations" is quite accurate. Our politicians have been thoroughly cowed by the fire arms industry and its primary lobbyists, the NRA.
I empathize with all who favor assault weapon and large capacity magazine bans but fear that these measures provide more peace of mind than increased safety. Universal back ground checks on every gun sale, public or private, has my full support. Not blind to the influence of lobbyists of any stripe, I think that the recent lack of a "gun-control agenda" is more a reflection of the difficulty that legislators encounter when trying to reconcile public safety with individual rights. I believe that increased safety in general is improved through actually prosecuting those who break any of the 20,000 gun-related laws on the books nationwide as opposed to enacting feel-good legislation that serves to placate much more than protect.
He's coming in pretty hard with his first volley. I wonder what he's willing to fall back on.
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What Obama isn't telling you, and neither is the Globe telling you..Obama has MORE plans to regulate (i.e. CONTROL) every move you make. Guns is just a conv eint way to get this started. We've already got ObamaCare to control your healthcare. Along with plenty of more TAXES.