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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Did Obama Flip-Flop on Gun Control?

Did Obama Flip-Flop on Gun Control?

Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the National Rifle Association, incorrectly claimed Obama pulled a bait-and-switch, promising during the campaign not to take away anyone’s guns, but now supporting an assault weapons ban. Obama is not now seeking to take away anyone’s existing guns, and he has for years consistently supported a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban.
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday” on Feb. 3, LaPierre was asked by host Chris Wallace what he made of the White House releasing a photo of President Obama skeet shooting at Camp David.

Did the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Work?

Did the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Work?

Both sides in the gun debate are misusing academic reports on the impact of the 1994 assault weapons ban, cherry-picking portions out of context to suit their arguments.

Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the National Rifle Association, told a Senate committee that the “ban had no impact on lowering crime.” But the studies cited by LaPierre concluded that effects of the ban were “still unfolding” when it expired in 2004 and that it was “premature to make definitive assessments of the ban’s impact on gun violence.”

NRA Misfires on Federal Gun Registry

NRA Misfires on Federal Gun Registry

The head of the National Rifle Association misfires when he claims the president’s proposal to require background checks for all gun sales will result in a “massive federal registry” of firearms. Current law bars federal agencies from retaining records on those who pass background checks, and nothing in the president’s plan would change that.
Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the NRA, criticized President Obama’s proposal for universal background checks in a Jan. 22 speech in Reno,

FactChecking GOP Response to Obama Gun Plan

FactChecking GOP Response to Obama Gun Plan

Republican response to President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence has been peppered with misleading claims.

Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas claimed, “Gun bans and anti-gun laws have always led to one thing — more gun violence.” But the majority of academic research on the effect of the federal assault weapons ban, as well as restrictive gun laws in several major cities, has found no such causal link.
Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana condemned what he said was Obama’s plan to “push”

Anti-NRA Group’s Shameless Editing Tricks

Anti-NRA Group’s Shameless Editing Tricks

A Web video attacking Rep. John Barrow for taking “NRA blood money” selectively edits an old campaign ad in which Barrow touts his support for the Second Amendment and the NRA’s endorsement of him. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, which produced the video, edited out all references in which Barrow explains why he supports gun rights — including his statement that his father owned a rifle “just to keep us safe.”
Barrow’s late father, James,

Gunman’s Weapons Already Illegal?

Gunman’s Weapons Already Illegal?

Arguing against the need for new gun laws in the wake of the Aurora shootings, Mitt Romney said many of the weapons possessed by shooter James Holmes were “illegal … already.” While it’s true that the bombs found later at Holmes’ apartment were illegal, that’s not the case for the weapons he used at the movie theater on the night of the rampage. Police confirmed that all of the weapons and ammunition used by Holmes that night were legally obtained at local sporting goods stores or over the Internet.

Sotomayor and Handguns

Q: Has Sotomayor written that states have the power to ban handguns?
A: A three-judge panel that included Sotomayor issued an unsigned decision saying that the Second Amendment does not apply to states, therefore states can regulate and ban weapons.

Gun Control in Australia

Q: Did gun control in Australia lead to more murders there last year?
A: This ‘Gun History Lesson’ is recycled bunk from a decade ago. Murders in Australia actually are down to record lows.

Gun Control

Q: Is Congress going to require a federal license to own a handgun?
A: A Chicago congressman’s bill, H.R. 45, would require that, but it has little support. The same bill died quietly in a House subcommittee last year.

Obama’s Gun Ban?

Q: Did Obama promise last year to ban all semi-automatic guns during his first year as president?
A: A widely circulated e-mail quoting Obama is baseless and almost certainly fabricated. He does support reinstatement of the expired "assault weapons ban" but isn’t calling for a wider ban on all semi-automatic weapons. He said repeatedly during the campaign, "I am not going to take your guns away."