White House Puts Politics Over Safety

By Larry Keane

Rahm Emanuel
President Obama conspiring with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
National Shooting Sports Foundation
National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn –-(Ammoland.com)- President Obama delivered his gun control stump speech in his hometown of Chicago last Friday.

He did not acknowledge that he was pressing for new restrictions in the town that makes owning a gun harder than anywhere else in the country, but is still wracked with astronomical levels of violence and killing.

“We may not be able to save every child from gun violence, but if we save a few, that starts changing the atmosphere in our communities,” he said.

The truth is that this White House is making a point of currently not taking specific actions that would help keep children safe – actions that no one has any reason to oppose except for the politics behind them.

Businessweek reporter Paul Barrett outlines these issues in a piece entitled “A Modest Proposal: Firearm Safety Training.” He first notes how the government has spent less than 4 percent of the funding authorized under current law to improve the NICS system. Congress is partly to blame here as well, but full funding of the program has never been part of an Obama budget, either.

Then Barrett discusses a program with the goal of preventing unauthorized access to firearms. Barrett writes that “During the George W. Bush administration, Congress appropriated more than $90 million that was channeled by the Justice Department to Project ChildSafe. That program has distributed 35 million cable-style gun locks with the assistance, in many cases, of local police departments. Each lock comes with a safety brochure and other educational material meant to help parents keep firearms out of the hands of children (or thieves). Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department ceased funding the program, much to the consternation of local cops.”

Barrett offers his own theory as to why: “I strongly suspect that the reason is that Project ChildSafe has been—and still is—administered by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun-industry trade group friendly with the NRA. Obviously, the Obama administration has its differences with the gun industry and the lobby representing gun owners. This should not, however, prevent the White House from keeping guns out of kids’ hands.”

Mr. President, you can take action today to save lives by helping to prevent unauthorized access to firearms. There’s no need for more political drama or stump speeches. Just sign a directive restoring funding to Project ChildSafe.

Your own Vice President has told gun control activists to “let us worry about the politics.” But all you have to do here is leave the politics out of it.

About NSSFThe National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

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Lentenlands

Given the hour and the desperate situation this Nation now faces, why are the traitorous politicians violating their oaths of fidelity to the Constitution not being arrested, impeached and punished? Politicians who introduce legislation to disarm the People should be. In Missouri a bill was introduced along these lines, but we already have a process called impeachment. In NY, Gov. Cuomo and Senator Skelos should be arrested, impeached and imprisoned for their crime against the People and their infidelity to the Constitution that they swore fidelity to. If this were to happen across the Nation, the forces of disarmament could… Read more »

Al Haffar

This whole thing about safety and to protect the children is nothing but undercover to promote and execute the long established agenda of the left wing, this is the time to implement what euro and comi block countries call the united state have to long the super power in the world, and have been policing the world for to long, as you examine the formula that is being undertaking to do so you will find out, 1- destroy the economy. 2- increase the debt to such high level that it is impossible to recover from the damage in the next… Read more »

RockHard

That’s what we need more idiotic ideals! We don’t need more NICS; crooks are going to get guns no matter what background checks are performed; how many deaths has NICS prevented. I can safely say, that NICS has not prevented any of the recent massacres. People who want to kill others will do it with guns or without them. Simply put, it’s sightlessness to pursue such red-herrings. Only fools focus on NICS; Americans must remember that infringement of any kind violates the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. NICS is an infringement; with it the government is saying they don’t trust… Read more »