Nightline on Obama, gun control

[unixronin]

Nightline broadcast a good and pretty balanced segment last night, discussing Barak Obama's gun control position and the massive gun buying rush that's going on across the US now by people concerned that if they don't buy them now, they won't be able to.

Particular points to note:

• The customer who keeps repeating to the reporter, "Never mind Obama's words, look at his actions."¹
• The gunshop owner reporting Obama supporters coming into his store wearing their Obama buttons, who just voted for him but are still afraid he'll ban guns.

[1]  You might have seen me say this once or twice.  Assuming you've been paying attention.

Comments

[dr-nebula.livejournal.com]

However. I seriously doubt he would even remotely consider action on (assault) guns until the BIG stuff (economy/bank crisis, Iraq, oil/alternative energy -etc)has been dealt with.

However, down the line - he *might*, if he has enough political clout and popularity to withstand the shitstorm that is sure to follow. This sounds more a 2nd term thing - it is political suicide for his first term.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I would like to think that he's not that stupid. I would like to think that the Democratic Party can learn from experience and realize that gun control is unpopular with a greater number of people than it is popular with. (Pretty much the same as, say, gay marriage, actually.)

However, so far the Democratic Party has disappointed me at almost every turn. I've never been a huge fan of the Republican Party either, but it wasn't until Bush, Cheney and Rove that they managed to sink to the Democrats' level of sheer suck.

[luxobscura.livejournal.com]

I too would like to agree with you, but damn, it's an action item on the change.gov site *already*.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Crime is also not as big a concern among the electorate as it was in the 1988 and '92 elections. While there's been a recent uptick in violent crime that can be put down to the faltering economy, it's nowhere near as bad as it was in the 70s, 80s, and early part of the 90s, especially in the wake of the crack epidemic. So the general public just isn't as concerned about gun crime as they used to be. If the economy gets worse during Obama's first term, and crime rises as a result, that may give the anti-gun forces some more momentum--but if the economy gets worse and voters vote their wallets, then Obama may end up a one-term President.