The speech, a blend of grief and resolve that he finished writing on the short Air Force One flight up here, seemed to promise a significant change in direction for a president who has not made gun issues a top priority in four years in office. ...NYT
Obama has made strong speeches on earlier occasions but without much follow-up. This time, it seems (and the NYTimes suggests) the issue of gun control is going to get some overdue attention.
The president’s trip here came amid rising pressure to push for tighter regulation of guns in America. The president offered no specific proposals, and there were no urgent meetings at the White House over the weekend to draft legislation. Administration officials cautioned against expecting quick, dramatic action, especially given the end-of-the-year fiscal crisis consuming most of Mr. Obama’s time.
But the administration does have the makings of a plan on the shelf, with measures drafted by the Justice Department over the years but never advanced. Among other things, Democrats said they would push to renew an assault rifle ban that expired in 2004 and try to ban high-capacity magazines like those used by Mr. Lanza in Newtown. The president also said he would work with law enforcement and mental health professionals, as well as parents and educators.
The streets outside the memorial service and the airwaves across the nation were filled with voices calling for legislative action. By contrast, the National Rifle Association and its most prominent supporters in Congress were largely absent from the public debate. ...NYT
Connecticut's Governor Dannel Malloy also raised the issue.
Governor Malloy said on the CBS program “Face the Nation” that when someone can burst into a building with “clips of up to 30 rounds on a weapon that can almost instantaneously fire those, you have to start to question whether assault weapons should be allowed to be distributed the way they are in the United States.” ...NYT
"Start to question?" Huh?
Leading Republicans in Washingon were sought for comments. They were not to be found. Mitch McConnell had "no comment." Eric Cantor "could not be reached."
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Cokie Roberts, the NPR commentator, comes from a family of Congressional representatives. She points this morning to Congress's sex change: there are increasing numbers of women in the Senate and in the House. Women will push the issue of gun control. The era of white male dominance (the perps in mass killings, in war-making) is over.
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