After a day during which New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged President Barack Obama to sidestep Congress on guns, and after a Texas congressman threatened to start impeachment proceedings, one of the nation’s leading gun rights advocates asserted that the president “has no respect for the Second Amendment.”
Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, issued a statement Monday afternoon blasting the president for hinting at a ban on certain firearms. An announcement could come Tuesday, ironically opening day of the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, from where this column is reporting.
During the annual “Range Day” for firearms writers in nearby Boulder City, there were lots of discussions about what could happen if the Obama administration declares war on gun owners. Perhaps firing an opening shot across his bow, Gottlieb called the administration “irresponsible” for allowing thousands of guns to be illegally transported to Mexico.
“Obama has no respect for the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb stated, “and is not trusted by gun owners. That is only reinforced by his support for banning certain firearms. His administration has a dismal record of keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. One just needs to look at the Fast & Furious scandal. His administration is irresponsible for putting thousand of assault rifles in the hands of violent criminals.
“We need to get more criminal and mental heath data into the gun check data base,” he added. “The President has had four years to make that happen and has failed. Now he wants to blame law-abiding gun owners and take away their rights.”
Republican Texas Congressman Steve Stockman threatened to file articles of impeachment against the president if he moves to ban guns by executive order, as Bloomberg suggested.
With virtually every major firearms manufacturer and tens of thousands of retailers here in Las Vegas, reaction to any such move will likely be immediate, forceful and massive.
This comes as renowned economist and author Walter Williams told The Daily Caller that the Second Amendment is not about hunting, but about guaranteeing that citizens have the means to protect themselves from their own government.
Bloomberg, the anti-gun founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was quoted arguing that the president could take steps against gun rights “without congressional approval at any time he chooses with just one stroke of the pen.” The remark has ignited a fury across the firearms forums.
The days ahead could see a firearms community uniting for a pitched political battle against the White House that many here in Las Vegas believe is taking on the airs of an imperial presidency that can rule without the legislative branch.
Suggested reading:
Assault on Weapons: The Campaign to Eliminate Your Guns
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