For the Record: The gun issue (or not)
Guns.
Nothing starts a Facebook war quicker than that word (except maybe abortion or Trump or … well, OK, lots of words start Facebook wars).
Bad analogies aside, there is a lot of arm-waving and vitriol out there about gun control. Which makes it perfect fodder for presidential candidates and a timely issue for the FTR crew to pick apart.
So, let’s take a shot at this. (Ha! See what we did there?) Please keep all weapons securely holstered while we explain.
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WHY IT’S AN ISSUE NOW
Several groups have renewed their calls for “common sense” gun controls in the wake of recent mass shootings, which includes everything from beefed up background checks to bans on “assault weapons.” The New York Times took the rare step of publishing a front-page editorial to say it’s “a moral outrage and a national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed specifically to kill people.” President Obama also called on Congress to enact new regulations during a televised address on his plans to fight terrorism.
WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAY
This might be the 2015 version of John Kerry’s “I was for it before I was against it” (or vice versa). Hillary Clinton has taken the strongest stance against guns, vowing to openly fight the gun lobby (cage match style, you think?) if elected. But she positioned herself further to the right than Obama on guns in 2008.
Similarly, Chris Christie supported an assault-weapons ban in 1993 and in 2013 signed nearly a dozen bills restricting firearms but more recently had a change of heart, saying on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he’s “grown up a bit.” See other candidates’ stances here.
DO VOTERS REALLY CARE?
Good question. An October Gallup poll found that 86 percent of respondents favor background checks for all gun purchases. Yet 56 percent of respondents in that same poll said America would be safer if more people carried concealed weapons. And a more recent Quinnipiac poll found that only 3 percent of Democrats – typically those more in favor of heavier restrictions – said guns are a top issue for them.
SO, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
In Congress? Other than the collective smirk from Republicans when Obama urged them to pass stricter controls, probably not much. A proposal failed last week to bar people on the no-fly list from buying guns, with Republican candidates Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz voting against it. Meanwhile, a record number of background checks were performed on Black Friday. And gun stocks surged the day after Obama’s speech.
