Obama penned an op-ed at the Arizona Daily Star over the weekend regarding gun control where he calls for improving NICS and enforcing existing laws.
Some thoughts on this:
- There’s no way the antis can be happy with this. Brady, NYAGV, etc. were clearly going for magazine prohibition via H.R. 308.
- He didn’t say he was endorsing Schumer’s bill S-436, which curtains but does not outright prohibit private firearms transfers. MAIG wants this and despite their press release I would guess they’re not very happy either.
- Obama goes out of his way not to offend gunnies: “… in fact, my administration has not curtailed the rights of gun owners – it has expanded them, including allowing people to carry their guns in national parks and wildlife refuges …”
- I don’t think Obama wants to deal with this issue and doesn’t plan to spend much political capital on it. The op-ed comes across as a half-hearted effort designed more to silence his critics than make substantive policy.