THIS VAMPIRE ISN'T DEAD YET

March 8, 2010

by Al Doyle

One of the biggest objections to President Obama is his extreme anti-Second Amendment voting record and public remarks as an Illinois State Senator and U.S. Senator. The election of Obama to the presidency in November 2008 led to a record-setting surge of firearms and ammunition buying. While that frenzy has subsided, interest in guns and ammo is still holding at high levels.

Despite pressure from groups such as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and some anti-gun congressmen, there has been little action on gun control more than a year into the Obama administration. Does this mean pro-gun activists and spokesmen were crying wolf about Obama? Not at all.

Obama's visceral hatred of private gun ownership is thoroughly documented, but his obsession with nationalizing health care and America's growing economic troubles are more important and pressing issues at this time. Don't expect gun control to be neglected for long.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged the administration's support for the latest global gun control scheme from the United Nations. Promoted with the usual phony excuses ("prevent arms trafficking and insurrections", "save lives", "fight terrorism"), the vaguely worded UN proposal has been approved by almost every nation except the United States.

What might happen if the Senate (a two-thirds majority is needed) approved what the UN describes as a "global small arms treaty"? Licensing of all gun owners and registration of all firearms could be mandated. Such actions are nothing more than stepping stones to civilian disarmament, which has always been the goal of the UN and its supporters.

The Supreme Court will soon hear the case against the city of Chicago's ban on handgun ownership. Although most observers believe Chicago will end up on the losing side of the ruling, it might not be much of a victory for gun rights.

An almost identical law in Washington, D.C. was struck down, but the high court declared that states and municipalities could have undefined "reasonable restrictions" without a total ban. With such a vague and toothless ruling, Washington residents are virtually in the same position they were before the case was decided. Realists expect a rerun in the upcoming Chicago verdict.

What would prevent a heavily publicized and tragic shooting or two being used as the excuse for ramming through some anti-gun legislation? It has happened in the past, and what would stop the anti-freedom crowd from sticking with a successful formula? Some optimists point to the upcoming mid-term elections as a reason for gun-grabbing politicians to go light on the issue for now, but 2010 is a better time to make a move than heading into the much larger 2012 election cycle.

Always be alert to what is happening at the state and local level. California residents will be forced to have all ammo purchases registered at the point of sale beginning in 2011, and mail-order transactions will be banned. When it comes to the Second Amendment, eternal vigilance at every level is necessary.