President emphasizes firearm background checks in State of Union Address

universal background checks on those who purchase firearms in his State of Union Address last night. “Overwhelming majorities of Americans – Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment – have come together around commonsense reform – like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun” Obama said.  “Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.” Universal background checks, and the tougher penalties for “straw purchases” of guns, are some of the most popular gun-control proposals among voters, and both may eventually win bipartisan support. But a ban on military-style weapons faces an uphill battle in Congress, where Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has championed a renewal of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004. While the National Rifle Association has opposed expanding background checks to include private gun sales, surveys find overwhelming support for universal background checks – even among the NRA’s own membership, according to the Washington Post. CNS highlighted some eye-opening statistics at the end of the address, stating that there have been 65,376,373 background checks completed for Americans purchasing firearms since February of 2009, the first full month of Barack Obama’s presidency. By comparison, the number of background checks in Obama’s first term is 91.1% higher than President George W. Bush’s first-term total of 34,214,066. While it’s certainly a start, it seems that the road to universal background checks for firearm purchases will be a long one, and the President will face many hurdles and opposition before the finish line is reached.      ]]>