Obama slow-walking the gun issue

WASHINGTON — President Obama says we will change our approach to gun violence — some other day.

Near the site of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., Obama said on Sunday that he will take action “in the coming weeks” to prevent future carnage — a sentiment White House press secretary Jay Carney echoed no fewer than 16 times in his Monday afternoon briefing.

Will Obama push for more gun-control laws?

“I would simply point you to what the president said last night about moving forward in coming weeks,” the spokesman said.

Will he join the effort to reinstate the assault-weapons ban?

“You’ll hear from him, I think, as he said last night, in the coming weeks, to speak more specifically about what he thinks we can do.”

Will he perhaps make it a focus of his second inaugural address?

“I don’t have any more details to give you about how or when the president will address this issue in coming weeks,” Carney said, “except to cite what he said yesterday about doing so in coming weeks.”

There’s only one problem with the “coming weeks” approach to gun control: The weeks almost never come. It’s nice to be deliberative and thoughtful, and it’s particularly difficult to act quickly now, a week before Christmas and with the “fiscal cliff” talks consuming the political world. But in the case of gun control, a pattern has become persistent: A tragedy sparks an outcry for common-sense gun laws and gun groups are set back on their heels, but by the time Congress gets around to taking action, the National Rifle Association has regained its legislative stranglehold.

Now the window has opened again — at the unthinkable price of 20 young children and seven adults dead. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a pro-gun Democrat, said Monday on MSNBC that he’s open to tougher laws. “Never before have we seen our babies slaughtered,” he said. Another pro-NRA Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, agreed that “the status quo isn’t acceptable.” And gun-rights lawmakers are on the defensive; David Gregory reported that all 31 pro-gun senators declined to appear on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

But the NRA’s allies will soon regain their courage — which is why New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was correct to say that “immediate national action” is what will work, including eliminating loopholes in background checks for those who buy guns, reinstating the assault-weapons ban and banning high-capacity magazines.

Privately, Democrats are trying to calibrate how forceful to be; the issue has been a political loser for them. Yet even Harry Reid, the pro-gun Senate majority leader, is recognizing that some considerations may be more important than politics. On the Senate floor Monday, he offered a slightly more urgent twist on Obama’s phrase, calling for action “in the coming days and weeks.”

But the White House seems determined to slow-walk the gun issue until it returns to obscurity, as seen in Obama’s call for ideas from his Cabinet rather than an immediate legislative push. On Friday, the day of the shootings, Carney said, “Today’s not that day” for a gun-control debate — a reasonable position, given the raw tragedy. Three days later, “that day” still hadn’t come.

On Monday afternoon, Carney again appealed for patience, pointing out, correctly, that “no single piece of legislation” will solve the problem. But he had difficulty articulating why Obama wasn’t pushing ahead with changes that are obviously necessary.

Does the president see some urgency to take action in the short term? “I would simply refer you to his remarks last night when he talked about the action he hoped to take to engage the American people in the coming weeks,” Carney said.

Asked for some specific actions, he said: “I don’t have a series of proposals to present to you. Again, the president spoke yesterday about moving forward in the coming weeks.”

The longer Obama waits, won’t people be more likely to return to their hardened views on guns? Carney predicted that “in a few weeks or a few months,” the pain from Newtown will “still be incredibly intense.”

What about Bloomberg’s demand for immediate action? “He didn’t, you know, talk about months or years,” Carney replied. “He said coming weeks.”

ABC News’ Jake Tapper pressed the spokesman for one action Obama had taken to advance his call for removing “weapons of war” — military-type guns — from American streets.

“He will in coming weeks use the power of his office to try to help make that change,” Carney said.

But if you believe the current national mood will be the same in the coming weeks, you’ve got another thing coming.

Dana Milbank’s email address is danamilbank@washpost.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

RGB version
Editorial cartoons for Monday, March 18

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Carson gets a chance to sound the horn in an Everett Fire Department engine with the help of captain Jason Brock during a surprise Make-A-Wish sendoff Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Everett voters will set course for city finances

This fall and in coming years, they will be asked how to fund and support the services they use.

Devotees of TikTok, Mona Swain, center, and her sister, Rachel Swain, right, both of Atlanta, monitor voting at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Editorial: Forced sale of TikTok ignores network of problems

The removal of a Chinese company would still leave concerns for data privacy and the content on apps.

Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, watches the State of the State speech by Gov. Jay Inslee on the second day of the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Editorial: Legislature has its own production of ‘The Holdovers’

What state lawmakers left behind in good ideas that should get more attention and passage next year.

Comment: Measles outbreaks show importance of MMR vaccinations

The highly contagious disease requires a 95 percent vaccination rate to limit the spread of outbreaks.

Harrop: Should ‘affordable’ come at cost of quality of living?

As states push their cities to ignore zoning rules, the YIMBYs are covering for developers.

Saunders: Classified document cases show degrees of guilt

President Biden’s age might protect him, but the special prosecutor didn’t exonerate him either.

Comment: Clearing the internet of misinformation, deep fakes

With social networks’ spotty moderation record, users need to identify and call out problems they see.

Eco-Nomics: Price of gas, fossil fuels higher than you think

Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels force unseen costs in climate disasters, illness and more.

Vote against I-2117 to keep best tool to protect climate

We voters will be offered the opportunity to repeal Washington state’s Climate… Continue reading

Lack of maternal health care raises risks of deadly sepsis

In today’s contentious climate, we often hear political debates about maternal health… Continue reading

Trump’s stance on abortion isn’t moderate; it’s dangerous

Voters deserve to know the facts and the truth about what will… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.