Yesterday, Fox News personalities Bill O'Reilly and Gretchen Carlson both called for the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. Meanwhile, Donald Trump stated that he will speak to the NRA about new restrictions to prevent people on a terrorism watch list from purchasing guns.
I must admit I was a bit surprised by all this. Obama has been calling for these changes for quite some time -- but as we all know, if Obama wants something, the GOP will always oppose it (even if it is something Republicans have supported in the past) because they do not want to give America's first Black president a political victory. Christ, if the massacre at Sandy Hook wasn't enough to cause the GOP to enact sensible gun control laws, then what possibly could be?
Well, the political climate is a lot different post-Orlando than it was post-Sandy Hook. Barack Obama is down to his last few months in office, and he currently enjoys the status as a popular president. Perhaps certain folks in the GOP feel that the President's legacy is now set in stone, so a few more Obama political victories won't make that much of a difference anymore.
Trump's motives are a bit more clear. Donald has basically accused Obama of treason, and has actually suggested that the President is in cahoots with the terrorizers. But even Donald would have to admit that it is pretty hard to accuse Obama of a capital offense while at the same time believing that folks on the terror watch list should be able to purchase guns. So I think Donald is simply trying to make it easier for himself to accuse Obama of giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The real question, of course, is whether the NRA will go along with any of this. I think the answer to that question is a resounding "no fucking way!" This will put Republicans in a tight spot politically -- the leadership of the NRA is not very forgiving, so any Republican who opposes that organization does so at his or her peril.
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