LOOKING FORWARD TO COMMON- SENSE GUN CHECKS
Finally, President Barack Obama is taking the action that our do- nothing, know- nothing, carefor-nothing-but-themselves Congress members haven’t had the courage to do: work to curb gun violence in our country.
Our lawmakers, on the other hand, have consistently averted their eyes and focus from American public opinion and the grieving family members of gun violence victims. Instead our Congress has bowed to the National Rifle Association’s high-spending gun lobby and blocked needed change.
The NRA’s often repeated propaganda that common- sense gun regulations amount to infringement on Second Amendment rights is blatant hogwash. And GOP presidential candidates’ claims (Ted Cruz and Donald Trump in particular) that asking every gun buyer to pass a background check is synonymous with “taking away our guns” is an outright lie.
The vast majority of Americans know this. And they reject it.
In a Quinnipiac University poll taken Dec. 16-20 ( two weeks after the San Bernardino, Calif., massacre), 89 percent of registered voters said they would support a law requiring background checks on people buying guns at gun shows or online — a loophole that currently exists. On this aspect of gun control, even 87 percent of Republicans support tighter gun laws, along with 95 percent of Democrats and 86 percent of voters who identify themselves as independents.
In the same poll, 58 percent of registered voters support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, and only 38 percent oppose such a ban. Likewise, 55 percent of voters said it is “too easy” to buy a gun in the U.S. today
Our favorite answers in this poll, however, were the ones made to this question: “As you may know, individuals on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list are not allowed to fly on planes. Would you support or oppose banning those on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list from purchasing guns?”
A whopping 83 percent support banning those on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns, including 77 percent of Republican voters. (But, go figure — just after the San Bernardino terrorist-inspired shooting, our U.S. Senate voted 45-54 to reject an amendment that would bar people on the terrorist watch list from legally buying a firearm or explosives.)
Seriously? What’s unconstitutional about preventing a suspected terrorist from buying a gun?
On New Year’s Day, the president announced during his radio address that he would talk to Attorney General Loretta Lynch about measures he can take on his own to halt “our epidemic of gun violence.” White House spokesmen say he will participate in a live televised town-hall-style meeting Thursday at 8 p.m. to discuss it further.
Thank you, Mr. President. We look forward to what we’re sure our GOP Congress members will call your “lawless” (we call it thankfully common-sense) executive actions.