I just caught up with the gun control press conference after a long day in the office. Even though I am not American I must say I was proud in the way Obama tackled this issue, how he acknowledged the enormity of the challenge, and how reasonable he sounded. He used the term 'common sense' many times and his words and actions followed suit. Contrast that to the craziness of the NRA for the past 30 odd days since Newtown, who sound like they have come completely unhinged - from their terrible press conference to their solution of armed guards, and finally their despicable ad that aired yesterday. Someone said it earlier but Obama just being Obama is giving these people enough rope to hang themselves in the court of public opinion.
I really liked his acknowledgement of the opposition and their arguments that will come up - including the overreach of a tyrannical government - and how the ordinary joe can combat that by simply asking someone opposed to the measured enacted why they think it's a bad idea. Also, using Reagan's own words on why gun control for assault weapons is needed was a welcome touch. I love how for all their idolization of Reagan, there is a counterpoint to many conservatives stand for that were espoused by Reagan:
- lowered taxes but then raised them numerous times incrementally
- immigration reform by advocating amnesty
- weapons proliferation, by advocating dis-armament
- and now gun control and the advocacy of reduced assault style weapons
The gun lobby have no doubt imploded, but I would like to see them provide honest and reasonable arguments for why some of these provisions are bad:
- universal background check: how can we tell if a gun is being sold to a felon, a mentally ill person, or someone who has been prohibited from purchasing firearms without a background check on all firearm purchases?
- nominating an ATF director: what's the reasonable sounding argument that a head of a government unit not have an accountable executive?
- exploratory research into the possibility of links between violent video games and gun violence: if gun advocates are for this, how can they be against the CDC researching ways to reduce gun violence? That would be entirely hypocritical.
For all the talk of Obama going against his base, I think today can be chalked up into a good day for liberals and reasonable people who seek a pragmatic approach to minimize a tragic real-world problem. If anyone cannot debate the merits of the proposals without resorting to accusations of overreach, tyranny, and socialism (or is it fascism?), then they shouldn't be engaged in the conversation.
On a final note, there was an op-ed in today's nytimes from our former Prime Minister John Howard, who detailed the approach - and battles - he had to undertake to reform gun laws in the wake of our worst massacre 17 years ago. It's worth a read for anyone interested in the subject:
I Went After Guns. Obama Can, Too.
Why are all these people that are wonderful, caring, people be so paranoid?