I mean "schizophrenic" in the sense of a split personality: According to the latest Gallup poll (10/20/09), 62% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats believe Obama will try to ban the sale of guns. The poll concludes:

"President Obama has never said, either on the campaign trail or after taking office, that he intends to push for a ban on the sale of all guns. Nevertheless, the reports of increased sales of guns and ammunition suggest that certain segments of society -- in particular, gun owners -- are acting as if this belief is true. The data reviewed here show that at least a majority of those who own guns or have guns in the household indeed do believe that Obama will attempt to ban the sale of all guns. It is not possible to establish that this belief has led directly to increased gun- or ammunition-purchasing behavior. But the possibility of such a connection appears quite real."

This seems to be more a matter of political conviction than anything to do with reality People who believe Obama was born in Kenya will believe anything. What a wonderful effect propaganda can have!

Well, what is a person to believe?

Over the years, the most rabid advocates of far reaching federal gun-control schemes have tended to be Democrats, a number of whom are still in Congress, some in the Democratic leadership. Some of those schemes proposed in years past were quite radical.

Democrats like Obama who have national ambitions tend to play down their former support for radical gun-control proposals, but they seldom renounce them.

Obama, who supported draconian gun-control bills as an Illinois legislator claims that he's "not in favor" of that kind of legislation now. But is he really against it? Would he vetoe such a bill if it passed Congress?

Back in 1995 a certain US senator from California declared that she would make Mr. and Mrs. America turn in their guns if only she had the votes, the political clout, to do so.

Is it paranoid to take her at her word?

I don't think Obama is going to significantly increase gun control (if only because he lacks the political capital to pull it off), but arguing that we know he won't because he didn't mention it on the campaign trail is a pretty silly point.

(Schizophrenia also has nothing to do with multiple personalities, but that's a completely different point.)

Faustling is arguing from the position that we have a sort of new-form Democratic Party on our hands. Just because Obama didn't promise to eradicate gun ownership doesn't mean we can expect him to defend anything close to the NRA platform either. Obviously, the knee jerk reaction to buy more guns and ammunition after the Election was an over-reaction. But that does not mean that Obama's neutral on the issue.

Faustling:

The data reviewed here show that at least a majority of those who own guns or have guns in the household indeed do believe that Obama will attempt to ban the sale of all guns.

Well, duh. Talk about a self-selecting sample...

crazy right wingnuts. Just like the crazy left wingnuts who insisted Bush was stupid enough to invade Iraq for the hell of it.

Faustling:

"President Obama has never said, either on the campaign trail or after taking office, that he intends to push for a ban on the sale of all guns (emphasis added). Nevertheless, the reports of increased sales of guns and ammunition suggest that certain segments of society -- in particular, gun owners -- are acting as if this belief is true.

I see no evidence that anyone believes Obama intends to ban the sale of all guns. The increased sales of guns and ammunition, IMAO, merely reflects the belief among many that Obama intends to ban some types of guns (e.g. handguns that are high-capacity or ultra-concealable, and military-style self-loading repeating rifles). I'm not saying I agree with that belief, but but I suspect that it's shared by many liberal Democrats as well.

The question is, do you act on every statement made anywhere by anyone? The fact that one person says something is not a reason to believe it is so or will happen. There is no chance that guns will be taken away from citizens. NONE. Is there a chance that guns will be regulated more - yes. There has been gun regulation in the past and we will continually address it in the future, in a process that is reasonably well defined and allows for all sides to participate in. The notion that the Obama administration will take guns and ammunition from citizens is completely unsupported. There is not evidence anywhere for this. I am amazed this s out there and that people are acting on it. So the notion that someone is profiting on it is worth looking at. I am ok with it - I believe in a market-based economy and businesses can market, advertise and try to convince consumers to spend their money of legal products. But when people try to tell m that the threat is real - BS to you! That is ridiculous to the extreme.

I'm a Democrat and also a member of the ACLU and NRA. I doubt Obama would be dumb enough to try to force through major anti-gun legislation; however...

I usually discredit any use of the slippery slope argument but I think there are two issues where it should definitely be considered: abortion and guns. I believe the Republicans want to eventually ban abortion but would like to do it by gradually by increasing regulations and making them more difficult to obtain, until at some point abortions would essentially be outlawed due to the cost/difficulty of getting one. This is why I'm incredibly dubious of any new abortion regulations that some state legislatures try to push through.

I believe there are some on the left who have learned from their mistakes in 1994 but would still like to eventually end private ownership of firearms. They realize they can't do it with sweeping legislation but could probably pull it off by gradually increasing regulations. In the long term, they can essentially ban firearm ownership by increasing taxes and very specific bans.

Just because you are a functioning paranoiac doesn't mean that President Obama is not out to grab your shootin' arn?

The difference is that Iraq became a hell for the GI's while Lil' George cut brush and Cheney huddled in his gun safe.

"Many" are paranoid, and you agree with their crazy-ass beliefs, but you are not paranoid! No, not you!

That course is inspite of 85% of the populace agreeing firearms are the right of the people as stated in the constitution...

tomilvento:

There is no chance that guns will be taken away from citizens. NONE. Is there a chance that guns will be regulated more - yes. There has been gun regulation in the past and we will continually address it in the future

Buying guns wouldn't make any sense if people thought the government was just going to confiscate them without compensation. The probably of future regulation combined with the likelihood of being able to keep what you have is what argues for buying them while you can.

Being a Jeffersonian Independent (if there were such a party) I prefer to watch the Democratic and Republican lemmings follow their active and prospective leaders over the cliff. The rest who are patriotic to our country and the Constitution will continue to stand by and press for freedoms for all to choose right or wrong and then be accountable for their decisions! But they too can run over the cliff if the like.