I need help, re: guns and gun control.

[krispos42]

7. I believe that the core of the issue is thus:

Part 1:

As Chief Executive, Obama has the power to issue executive orders, and appoint powerful people, that can make buying, selling, owning, lawfully using, and transporting guns difficult. He can do this even if Congress doesn't add, subtract, or change any legislation.

As a community organizer, state senator, and federal senator, Obama supported and promoted several anti-gun measures that are the mainstay of the gun-control movement: assault weapons ban, magazine-capacity limit, etc.

The fear was that, based on his history, once in a position to issue those executive orders and appoint those high-powered officials, he would act in such a manner as he was able to in order to achieve his previously-stated goals.



Part 2:

As a Democrat, President Obama is the titular head of the Democratic Party. And since the party platform and a couple of decades of experience have shown that the party is dedicated to being anti-gun. Naturally, they would assume that Congressional Democrats would work towards this (especially after the huge majorities we had in 2008). And that Obama, even if he wasn't personally a frothing anti-gun person, would not take a public stand against anti-gun legislation, would not work with Congress to get it removed from legislation, and wouldn't veto it if it made it to his desk.

The fear was that dedicated Democrats might pass anti-gun laws and that Obama would sign them, even if he wasn't that keen on it.



Part 3:

The NRA is right on the technical legal issues. Unfortunately, they coach this rightness in overly-emotional and somewhat wild-eyed rhetoric.

I hesitate to call them "paranoid", for the simple fact that repetitive questioning can make a person seem paranoid. Always asking "but why do you need..." eventually make the answer sound defensive.