Obama Administration and Gun Control

For John, BLUF:  Most of the talk on gun control is feel good talk.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Power Line and Mr John Hinderaker we have: s; "ON GUNS, THE DEMOCRATS AREN’T SERIOUS"

News reports indicate that next week, President Obama will unveil new regulations intended to force some non-firearms dealers to run background checks before selling guns.  Since the database against which background checks are run is close to useless with respect to mental illness, and since lawbreakers won’t run searches in any event, such a change will have, at best, symbolic value.  I will have more to say about that later in the weekend.

For now, I want to note that gun crime–suddenly the Democrats’ favorite topic–is something about which the Democrats have never been serious.  We already have many federal and state laws and regulations on the books.  Gun rights advocates often suggest that instead of enacting still more laws and regulations, the government would do better to enforce the ones already on the books.  They are right.

President Obama purports to be deeply concerned about gun crime.  But how has his administration done with respect to prosecuting those who violate the laws already on the books?  This chart, from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, tells the story:

[AND THE CHART GOES HERE]

The Clinton administration talked a good game on guns–remember the “assault weapons” ban?–but when it came to actual law enforcement, its record was horrendous.  (Someone should mention that to Hillary.)  Things shaped up considerably under the Bush administration, which achieved record levels of gun-crime-related convictions. But when Barack Obama became president and Eric Holder took over the Department of Justice, enforcement went straight downhill.  Over the course of the Obama administration, it has only gotten worse. Today, gun convictions are down 35% since the Bush administration peak in 2005 and 2006. Obama and Holder had an agenda, but it wasn’t law enforcement.

While I quoted most of the piece, I didn't quote it all.  So, click the link, above, and see the graphic and the last paragraph.

The idea that we would use the badly flawed TSA "No Fly" list for gun control purposes is ludicrous.♠  The idea of a background check makes sense to me.  The idea that legislators think that criminals will be deterred by the background check requirement suggests we need new legislators.  The idea that we would refer to the San Berdoo event, with 14 dead, as an example of gun violence causes me to despair of there being any strategic insight within the Democrat Party.  It was revolutionary warfare expressed with violence.  It was about a Criminal Gang, Daesh, recruiting new members to stir up trouble so it can make itself into a real Caliphate, saving the world for a special kind of Islam, expressed in its own actions today.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  At one point the late Senator Ted Kennedy was on it.