At the time of the 2008 Supreme Court decision regarding the D.C. handgun ban, candidate Obama said: "I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures" (Barnes 2008, p.2). Obama must make a clear distinction between legitimate use of guns and the destructive power of the guns he strives to ban through UK-style legislation. Obama must rally the support of sportsmen and sportswomen who happen to be Democrats, like New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The second prong of the Obama media campaign should be to dramatically demonstrate the human toll extracted from access to handguns, such as the 32 Chicago public schoolchildren having been killed in 2007, when Obama made one of his major pro-gun control speeches as a candidate (McCormick 2009). Appearing on the Virginia Institute of Technology campus during the commemoration ceremonies for that assassination, at the commemoration events for the anniversary of the Columbine school massacre, and making speeches at other places where handgun and assault rifle violence occurred will remind the larger public of the dangers of unfettered access to firearms. After all, it was such a shooting that encouraged the British to support a total ban on handguns.
Obama must ally himself with sympathetic advocates like Sarah Brady, the wife of the White House Press Secretary James Brady, who was wounded in the attack upon President Reagan by the assassin John Hinkley Jr. Harkening back to the Reagan Administration in his associations, if not his rhetoric, could potentially make Obama look strong despite his opposition to free and easy access to handguns, rather than weak. So will speaking in conjunction with supporters of gun control legislation from major, crime-ridden cities, like Mayor Michael Bloomberg. This...
The National Rifle Association (NRA) makes substantial contributions to both Democrats and Republicans. Only if the political costs of resisting the reform are great, will Obama's gun control legislation be able to pass. Congressional hearings must be led by those representatives who are willing to take a risk and support the legislation during its early stages (likely Democrats from urban, high crime-areas) that showcase the tremendous death toll from handguns and assault rifles, and there must be testimony from the victims of violence and their families. After a public relations campaign, hearings, and constant efforts to thwart the media blitz of well-funded opponents, Obama might be able to 'make the day' of gun control advocates and pass strict, U.K-style legislation.
Works Cited
Barnes, Robert. (2008, June 27). Justices reject D.C. ban on handgun ownership,
The Washington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2009 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062600615.html
British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC). (2009). Official Website.
Retrieved August 24, 2009 at http://www.basc.org.uk/
Handgun crime 'up' despite ban. (2001, July 6). BBC News. Retrieved August 24, 2009 at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1440764.stm
McCormick, John. (2009, April 27). Obama puts gun control issue on back burner. The Chicago
Tribune. Retrieved August 24, 2009 at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-gunsapr27,0,5634133.story
Second Amendment. (2009). The U.S. Constitution. Retrieved August 24, 2009 at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment02/
