“If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another
parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and
Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to
Blacksburg before that -- then surely we have an obligation to try.”
- Barack Obama concerning stricter gun laws
In order to better protect these children, President Obama has made a few proposals concerning stricter gun laws:
Almost instantly after the President brought up the proposals for stricter gun control laws a debate erupted and many began looking very closely at the Second Amendment which states:
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed."
To fuel the debate, many made claims against President Obama saying that he was going against the Second Amendment with his proposals for gun control. Obama's response to these accusations?
"Look, like the majority of Americans, I
believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear
arms. This country has a strong tradition of gun ownership that's been
handed down from generation to generation. Obviously across the country
there are regional differences. There are differences between how people
feel in urban areas and rural areas. And the fact is the vast majority
of gun owners in America are responsible -- they buy their guns legally
and they use them safely, whether for hunting or sport shooting,
collection or protection.
But you know what, I am also betting that
the majority -- the vast majority -- of responsible, law-abiding gun
owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep
an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war. I'm
willing to bet that they don't think that using a gun and using common
sense are incompatible ideas -- that an unbalanced man shouldn't be able
to get his hands on a military-style assault rifle so easily; that in
this age of technology, we should be able to check someone's criminal
records before he or she can check out at a gun show; that if we work
harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be
fewer atrocities like the one in Newtown -- or any of the lesser-known
tragedies that visit small towns and big cities all across America every
day."
- President Obama at a press conference in December
When gun advocates thought they were fighting a losing battle against gun control proposals, a few turned to lies to back their arguments. As a team we have uncovered the truthiness within some of the statements made against President Obama and his plan for stricter gun control laws.
Truth or Truthiness?
On Friday, February 10th, 2012, in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Wayne LaPierre, leader of the National Rifle Association, made an attempt to convince citizens that President Obama was trying to destroy the Second Amendment. LaPierre stated, "(Obama) endorsed a total ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of all handguns."
Fact Check: Truthiness.
According to PolitiFact, "Obama’s 1996 campaign for state Senate did endorse a state-level ban, on a questionnaire from which he has since distanced himself. He never suggested such a law in office, and later questionnaires showed a more nuanced approach, as have his more recent statements on gun control, including those during his time in the U.S. Senate and as president. In fact, his gun-control agenda has earned him failing grades from a prominent gun-control advocacy group. We can’t rule on a shadowy conspiracy to destroy the Constitution in Obama’s second term. But we can say that LaPierre’s claim that Obama endorsed a total ban on handguns contains a small element of truth (a typewritten "yes" on a long-ago questionnaire about a state ban) but ignores critical facts — that is, Obama's statements and record — that would give a different impression. That's our definition of Mostly False."
On Monday, June 11th, 2012, the NRA made a list of the "Ten Reasons Why Obama is Bad for the Second Amendment." The 10th reason states, "Obama admits he's coming for our guns, telling Sarah Brady, 'We are working on (gun control), but under the radar."
Fact Check: Truthiness.
According to PolitiFact, "What happened is Brady gave an interview to the Washington Post, where she recalled what the president said to her during a private meeting. But the NRA makes a tremendous leap by concluding that the quote shows that "Obama admits he's coming for our guns." A person at the meeting said Obama was likely referring to an in-the-works program to get gun dealers in border states to forward some gun purchases to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady says she never talked to Obama about gun policy. The NRA has taken a fragment of an unclear quote and prescribed the most far-reaching, conspiratorial conclusion. There simply isn't enough evidence for such a sweeping claim."
On Tuesday, November 27th, 2012, a chain email made it's way to PolitiFact. The email stated that, "The Obama administration intends to force gun control and a complete ban on all weapons for U.S. citizens through the signing of international treaties with foreign nations. By signing international treaties on gun control, the Obama administration can use the U.S. State Department to bypass the normal legislative process in Congress."
Fact Check: Complete Truthiness.
According to PolitiFact, "We found no evidence of such plans, instead consistent indications to the contrary. This chain email is also so off target, it’s ridiculous."
After fact checking a few of the claims made against Obama concerning his proposals for stricter gun laws our team decided to turn to Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart to learn a bit more about gun control and the facts surrounding it.
In January, Obama nominated B. Todd Jones to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. However, according to an article in the Standard Examiner, there have been concerns about the possibility of the nomination being blocked by the National Rifle Association allies in the Senate. There are also questions concerning whether or not the "ATF has the institutional strength to lead the kind of crackdown on illegal gun trafficking that Obama desires even if Jones is confirmed."
In the midst of this debate over gun control, many citizens publicize their anger and use threats to show how serious they are about this topic. In this video, Stephen Colbert addresses this technique using a specific example from Tactical Response CEO, James Yeager.
**UPDATE**
According to USA Today, on March 12, "The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bills to extend background
checks on gun purchases and improve school safety, but postponed
consideration of a bill to ban certain kinds of assault weapons and
high-capacity magazines."
