August 6, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Jay Carney: President Obama supports assault weapons ban
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Monday that President Obama supports renewing the assault weapons ban but “there has been reluctance by Congress to pass that renewal.” I’d say it’s a bit more severe than “reluctance.” I would characterize it more along the lines of: congress has sold out to the gun lobby. Or maybe: The NRA is holding congress and the country hostage. But I guess those two characterizations might be a bit too extreme for the White House, even if I think some in the White House might agree.
[poll id=”17″]As a presidential candidate, Obama supported renewal of the 1994-2004 federal ban on manufacturing semi-automatic weapons for civilian use. But he hasn’t pushed for it as president, largely steering clear of the issue.
The top Obama spokesman reiterated several times that the administration intends to push for gun safety “under existing law” and “not infringe upon Second Amendment rights of citizens.” Evoking Obama’s recent speech in New Orleans, he said the president wants to improve background checks and enforce laws to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of criminals. – TPM / photo by Talk Radio News Service
