As we learned during the election, Barack Obama can always count on NBC News to help him navigate his way to whatever victory he seeks. This morning, NBC’s First Read — written by Chuck Todd and others — is all within the context of winning the argument over the passage of laws that would restrict the law-abiding from purchasing the ability to defend themselves — in other words, having access to guns. [emphasis added]:
[T]he White House is possibly considering. “One possibility likely to be considered is a ban on high-capacity magazines, the devices attached to firearms that store large numbers of bullets and reload them rapidly.” Meanwhile, on “Meet the Press” yesterday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said she will introduce legislation at the beginning of the next Congress to ban assault weapons. “It will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation and the possession. Not retroactively but prospectively. And it will ban the same for big clips, drums or strips of more than 10 bullets. So there will be a bill.” And even Sen. Joe Manchin, on “Morning Joe” today, said: “Everything should be on the table.” But the question is follow-through. It’s one thing for politicians to make calls for action in the hours after a tragedy; it’s another thing for them to follow through with it weeks — or months — later. …
So Obama and others have raised expectations. Can they deliver? To pull this off in the gun area, the president is going to have to tackle every issue associated with these heinous crimes: gun laws, our gun culture, mental health, the de-sensitization of violence thanks to Hollywood and video game makers, and of course parental responsibility. If it’s a LARGER policy discussion, it’s much harder for the most ardent NRA-supporting lawmaker to walk away.
If you read the full piece, though, Todd and company’s contextual argument is only about pushing for gun control laws. The rest about Hollywood, mental health, and video games is all lip service — all cover and a fig leaf to go after guns — to corner and outmaneuver Second Amendment advocates.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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