(Freedom.news) President Obama’s Democrat allies in the U.S. Senate are backing new gun control measures in the wake of the mass murder at a small Oregon community college earlier this month by another mentally ill individual on psych drugs, but they did so under the protective watch of men and women with guns.
As reported by The Washington Times, some 27 Democrats gathered on the steps of the Capitol Oct. 8 surrounded by about a dozen armed officers from the U.S. Capitol Police to stump for new anti-gun measures.
The Capitol Police officers were in addition to the regular armed police detail that patrols the Capitol grounds; the added protection was due to a larger than normal gathering of senators, one officer on the scene told the Times.
The group announced a new set of priorities for combating gun violence, mostly settling on measures intended to expand and strengthen existing background check requirements for gun purchases.
Not surprisingly, their calls echoed those of President Obama following the Oregon shooting, in which he pressed Americans to pressure their lawmakers to take new action against their right to self-defense.
“We are asking, as the president said, to make their voices heard,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate. “We expect there will be a groundswell.”
That is likely bravado; according to Fortune magazine, gun sales hit another record, for the fifth month in a row, in September, indicating that firearms remain wildly popular among the American public.
Nevertheless, the Democrats laid out their new priorities, which (again, not surprisingly) mirrored those of Democrat presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton in a plan she introduced two weeks ago:
— Closing background check “loopholes,” such as stopping criminals from buying firearms at gun shows or online;
— improving background checks to include barring domestic abusers and stalkers from buying guns; and
— shutting down the “illegal gun pipeline” by making straw purchasing of guns and gun trafficking a federal crime.
“The victims and their families deserve better than a Congress that shrugs its shoulders and waited for the next tragedy,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat. “They deserve action.”
Obama flew to Roseburg, Oregon Oct. 9 to comfort families whose loved ones were victims of the shooting there; nine people in all were killed.
Many saw the trip as further politicizing an issue – gun control – that he has pushed repeatedly during his tenure.
As for residents of Roseburg, many did not want the president to come, including some local leaders.
Despite Obama’s push, many residents remained unreceptive to, and skeptical of, new gun control measures, including some involved in the shooting.
“It’s opened my eyes,” said J.J. Vicari, 19, a survivor of the shooting. “I want to have a gun in the house to protect myself, to protect the people I’m with.”
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