Obama and Romney on gun control
Neither President Barack Obama nor Gov. Mitt Romney has raised the issue of gun control during the 2012 campaign, but Obama has said he would consider reinstating an assault weapons ban. Romney has said he would not.
During the presidential debate on Oct. 16, Obama was asked how his administration plans to limit the availability of assault weapons. He said he has no plans for new gun-control legislation, but would consider a renewed assault-weapon ban.
“What I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence.” Obama said Americans should have the right to hunt and to protect themselves.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban, signed in 1994 by Bill Clinton, prohibited certain semi-automatic weapons. The law expired in 2004. Since then, there have been many attempts by Congress members to renew the ban. During the 2008 general election Obama favored making the assault weapons ban permanent.
During Obama’s first term, no significant gun-control legislation reached his desk. However, he signed a law that expanded the number of places people may carry concealed weapons, including Amtrak trains and national parks.
While he was governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed an assault-weapons ban. Since then his views on gun control have changed.
“I’m not in favor of new pieces of legislation on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal,” Romney said during the Oct. 16 debate. “We of course, don’t want to have automatic weapons, and that’s already illegal in this country, to have automatic weapons.”
Romney said the United States should focus on strictly enforcing the gun-control laws already in place.
In 2008, Romney became a member of the National Rifle Association. He currently owns no weapons, although he has gone hunting in the past. Obama has never been a member of the NRA.
--Hayley Lindly
During the presidential debate on Oct. 16, Obama was asked how his administration plans to limit the availability of assault weapons. He said he has no plans for new gun-control legislation, but would consider a renewed assault-weapon ban.
“What I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence.” Obama said Americans should have the right to hunt and to protect themselves.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban, signed in 1994 by Bill Clinton, prohibited certain semi-automatic weapons. The law expired in 2004. Since then, there have been many attempts by Congress members to renew the ban. During the 2008 general election Obama favored making the assault weapons ban permanent.
During Obama’s first term, no significant gun-control legislation reached his desk. However, he signed a law that expanded the number of places people may carry concealed weapons, including Amtrak trains and national parks.
While he was governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed an assault-weapons ban. Since then his views on gun control have changed.
“I’m not in favor of new pieces of legislation on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal,” Romney said during the Oct. 16 debate. “We of course, don’t want to have automatic weapons, and that’s already illegal in this country, to have automatic weapons.”
Romney said the United States should focus on strictly enforcing the gun-control laws already in place.
In 2008, Romney became a member of the National Rifle Association. He currently owns no weapons, although he has gone hunting in the past. Obama has never been a member of the NRA.
--Hayley Lindly