Yeah, politicians always keep their campaign promises, don't they?
I'll go by actions over words at this point. And it's all relative anyway, isn't it? What exactly does "I won't take your guns away" mean? One thing we can look forward to early on in an Obama administration is a renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban. And, in fairness, there's a chance we'd see this renewal with McCain as president as well. So while Obama might not be "taking away" your AR-style guns per se, he is certainly preventing you from purchasing more. He said it was a "scandal" that Bush didn't reauthorize the AWB. And who's to say that the ban cannot be extended to ammunition as well, rendering the existing weapons useless? Obama has also stated his support for handgun bans in cities such as Chicago and D.C. Not to mention his work on the Joyce Foundation, which (during his tenure) had a rather unique way of tackling any advantage gunowners might enjoy in the courts. You might want to read more on that particular foundation here:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obama-a...ond-amendment/
Let's make it clear: Barack Obama believes in the 2nd Amendment. But he always adds: "Just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right, in the same way that we have a right to private property but local governments can establish zoning ordinances that determine how you can use it." Translation: Gun bans like those in Chicago are okay. Further translation: The 2nd Amendment guarantees Americans the right to keep and bear arms unless a state or municipality decides that they don't want citizens to keep and bear arms within their jurisdiction. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you think Obama has trouble comprehending? The 2nd Amendment is not a states rights issue. It's a Constitutional right.
Let's also not forget that in 1996, when he was running for state legislature in Illinois, he endorsed a total handgun ban in his home state. He later claimed that an aide filled out the questionaire instead of him, until documents were released that revealed that it was his handwriting. You might want to surf over to FactCheck.Com for more on that one. Specifically, to a question that asked him: "Do you support state legislation to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns," Obama wrote, "Yes." Asked the same question about assault rifles, he wrote, "Yes." So, we can gather from this that Obama has at least at one point in his political career supported measures that go far above the original AWB. Perhaps under an Obama administration we might see a version of the AWB passed that will force a round-up of existing assault weapons? That certainly is what he favored on the questionaire.
In 2000, Obama sponsored a bill in Illinois that would limit your purchase of handguns to one per month.
Let's also not forget that Obama is opposed to concealed carry, and has said that it makes our streets more dangerous. His exact quote is: "I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry."
So when Obama says at the first of that video that he isn't going to take your shotgun, your rifle or your handgun, exactly what does he mean? That he isn't going to take those guns so long as they're pump-action shotguns, lever-action rifles and revolvers? Because in 1998 he stated his support for banning all semiautomatic weapons. That would include the shotgun I turkey hunt with and a handgun I hunt wild boar with. That doesn't sound like much of a friend to sportsmen to me.
Talk is cheap, my friend. Maybe he has reformed. But I'm not taking any chances. Not when he would have a Democratic Congress at his back with no checks & balances in place. And somehow I doubt he has reformed much, considering he was making anti-gun statements as early as the primary season last winter, before he became a nominee and had to start focusing on us small town folks who cling to our guns and religion because we're bitter.
Keep trying. I doubt you're going to convince many people here.
For those of you who think Obama will take your guns away...
