NRA Power Hangs Over Efforts to Stem Flow of Weapons to Mexico (Washn)
The reason? Barack Obama.
Critics say the NRA and other gun organizations used Obama's candidacy and election to scare gun owners and boost their memberships. In TV ads and on the Internet  the NRA warned that Obama planned to ban handguns and close 90 percent of gun shops.
Obama never said anything about banning handguns or closing gun shops. His campaign platform promised to pursue long-standing proposals to address urban violence: reinstating the assault weapons ban  outlawing "cop killer" bullets and closing the "gun-show loophole" that permits firearm sales without background checks.
The campaign said Obama favored "commonsense measures" to protect gun rights "while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them." Obama also said he would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment.
The NRA created a Web page that is still active  www.gunbanobama.com  to attack Obama's gun record. The site states  "Hillary was Right: You Can't Trust Obama With Your Guns." It then links to a mailer that Hillary Rodham Clinton used in the Democratic primary against Obama.
Recognizing his vulnerability in swing states  Obama began to run an alternate campaign to calm the worries of gun owners  said Ray Schoenke  a former Washington Redskins lineman who founded a moderate gun rights group  the American Hunters and Shooters Association  as part of the Obama effort.
The Obama campaign paid for Schoenke's travel to 40 events in Ohio  Pennsylvania  Florida and Colorado to address pro-gun voters.
"The opposition said Obama was going to take away everyone's guns  tax ammunitions  tax guns  register guns and reinstate the assault weapons ban " Schoenke said. "We said  'He is not going to do any of these things.' And he didn't."
When Holder  then Obama's nominee for attorney general  repeated Obama's gun control platform at his confirmation hearing last year  65 Democrats wrote Holder vowing to "actively oppose" any effort to restore the assault weapons ban. It was taken off the table  along with the other proposals.
Schoenke said he was in touch with the White House after Holder's comments  and he was assured that Obama would not be making a move toward stricter gun laws unpopular with gun groups. "We basically said it ain't gonna happen " Schoenke said recently. "And it hasn't happened."
In his first 20 months in office  Obama has virtually been silent on guns.
When the Obama administration passed its budget last year  it left the Tiahrt Amendment virtually intact. It expanded police access to the gun trace data but tightened restrictions on public disclosure of the data.
"President Obama's first-year record on gun violence prevention has been an abject failure " said the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
"We're up against  in the next two years  an Obama administration embedded with people that have spent a lifetime trying to destroy this great American freedom " LaPierre said on an NRA election-night webcast  "and we're going to have our work cut out for us."
The reason? [TGT].
Critics say the NRA and other gun organizations used [TGT]'s candidacy and election to scare gun owners and boost their memberships. In TV ads and on the Internet  the NRA warned that [TGT] planned to ban handguns and close 90 percent of gun shops.
[TGT] never said anything about banning handguns or closing gun shops. [TGT] campaign platform promised to pursue long-standing proposals to address urban violence: reinstating the assault weapons ban  outlawing "cop killer" bullets and closing the "gun-show loophole" that permits firearm sales without background checks.
The campaign said [TGT] favored "commonsense measures" to protect gun rights "while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them." [TGT] also said [TGT] would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment.
The NRA created a Web page that is still active  www.gunbanobama.com  to attack [TGT]'s gun record. The site states  "Hillary was Right: You Can't Trust [TGT] With Your Guns." It then links to a mailer that Hillary Rodham Clinton used in the Democratic primary against [TGT].
Recognizing his vulnerability in swing states  [TGT] began to run an alternate campaign to calm the worries of gun owners  said Ray Schoenke  a former Washington Redskins lineman who founded a moderate gun rights group  the American Hunters and Shooters Association  as part of the [TGT] effort.
The [TGT] campaign paid for Schoenke's travel to 40 events in Ohio  Pennsylvania  Florida and Colorado to address pro-gun voters.
"The opposition said [TGT] was going to take away everyone's guns  tax ammunitions  tax guns  register guns and reinstate the assault weapons ban " Schoenke said. "We said  'He is not going to do any of these things.' And he didn't."
When Holder  then [TGT]'s nominee for attorney general  repeated [TGT]'s gun control platform at his confirmation hearing last year  65 Democrats wrote Holder vowing to "actively oppose" any effort to restore the assault weapons ban. It was taken off the table  along with the other proposals.
Schoenke said he was in touch with the White House after Holder's comments  and he was assured that [TGT] would not be making a move toward stricter gun laws unpopular with gun groups. "We basically said it ain't gonna happen " Schoenke said recently. "And it hasn't happened."
In his first 20 months in office  [TGT] has virtually been silent on guns.
When the [TGT] administration passed its budget last year  it left the Tiahrt Amendment virtually intact. It expanded police access to the gun trace data but tightened restrictions on public disclosure of the data.
"President Obama's first-year record on gun violence prevention has been an abject failure " said the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
"We're up against  in the next two years  an [TGT] administration embedded with people that have spent a lifetime trying to destroy this great American freedom " LaPierre said on an NRA election-night webcast  "and we're going to have our work cut out for us."