Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

President`s Column: A True Threat To Freedom

Friday, May 16, 2008

Right now, one of the most anti-gun politicians ever to set foot in Washington, D.C., may be just one election away from the Oval Office, and far too few gun owners realize the true threat to freedom this candidate represents.

No, it’s not Hillary Clinton, we already know how bad she is. It’s Senator Barack H. Obama, D-Ill., the man who promises “change” while pretending to offer “hope.” But exactly what kind of “change” is Obama “hoping” for?

It is far too easy for gun owners to slip into a false sense of security, unquestioningly accepting the candidate’s promises and proclamations regarding the Second Amendment; but the unreported truth is that Barack Obama has an atrocious record on your most fundamental civil right: the right to a firearm for self-defense.

Over the years, Barack Obama has either voiced support for, or voted to enact, laws to:

  • ban all handguns
  • ban the sale or transfer of all semi-automatic firearms
  • ban the Right-to-Carry in every state, nationwide
  • ban firearms in the home, even for self-protection

And he voted against a “self-defense exception,” which absolves folks of violating gun bans when their reason for violating those bans is to fend off criminal attack in the home.

Go to Obama’s website and you’ll see his claims of respect for your rights, claims which are, at best, misleading.

Obama’s website claims, “He will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport and use guns for the purposes of hunting and target shooting.”

But as the bumper sticker says "The Second Amendment ain`t about duck hunting.”

In 1996, Obama‘s Illinois state senate campaign answered a questionnaire indicating his support for a blanket ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns in Illinois.

In 2000, Obama sponsored a “one-gun-a-month” law to ration the Second Amendment rights of the law-abiding citizens of Illinois.

Obama has supported bans on ammunition magazines, gun-lock mandates, renewal of the 1994 Clinton gun ban and California-style gun registration. He voted against confirmation of both Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito for the U.S. Supreme Court, and then refused to sign the pro-gun “friend-of-the-court” brief filed by 55 other senators and 250 House members in the District of Columbia v. Heller gun ban case.

In July 2005, Obama voted against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a vote against the rights of every law-abiding gun owner, dealer and manufacturer in America, and a vote against our national defense.

Obama even proposed a federal law banning licensed firearm dealers from operating within five miles of any school or park, nationwide! Imagine a map with a five-mile circle drawn around every school and park in the United States. Unless you live in the wilderness interior of Alaska, you probably couldn’t find a law-abiding gun dealer anywhere under Obama’s ban!

Yet, while Obama’s disdain for Second Amendment freedom appears limitless, his attitude toward armed, violent criminals has been one of benign neglect, at best.

In 1999, on a vote in the Illinois senate on whether to try teenage gang-bangers as adults when they fire a gun on or near school grounds, Obama voted “present”, the functional equivalent of “NO”!

In 2001, when Illinois lawmakers tried to control rampant gang violence by making gang members eligible for the death penalty when they commit murder to help their gang, Obama voted against the measure.

Responding to a Chicago Tribune questionnaire, Obama said he believed federal mandatory-sentencing laws used to put armed and violent predators behind bars should be abolished!

And if those same violent criminals attack you, Obama opposes your fundamental, God-given right to protect yourself. He opposes your Right to Carry. In fact, according to Obama’s own hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, Obama supports federal legislation to ban the Right to Carry for everyone but police officers!

Obama supported Washington, D.C.’s total ban on handguns in the home for self-defense; and when Illinois lawmakers introduced a bill that would exonerate citizens for violating local gun bans if they used a gun to defend themselves in their homes, Obama voted “NO”!

Even attorney Walter Dellinger, who tried to defend the Washington, D.C., gun ban before the U.S. Supreme Court, admitted, “It is a universal or near universal rule of criminal law that there is a self-defense exception. It goes without saying.”

In other words, Barack Obama’s position is even more anti-gun than the District of Columbia’s! Obama’s record is clear. his concept of “hope and change” will surely result in anti-gun/anti-freedom changes bringing more hopelessness for the most helpless in our society.

Now is the time to act! Every gun owner in America must be alerted to Obama’s record. Please, tear out this page, copy it and distribute it to fellow gun owners, hunters, shooters, family and friends. Spread the word and get ready for the most important election battle of our lifetime.

IN THIS ARTICLE
Politics
TRENDING NOW
New York:  Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrat Majorities Use The Budget to Adopt Gun Ban

Saturday, May 23, 2026

New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrat Majorities Use The Budget to Adopt Gun Ban

On Thursday, May 21, the New York Senate and Assembly used the State Budget as a vehicle to not only finance state government but also to pass a handful of their other policy priorities. 

Virginia: Spanberger Signs Unconstitutional Gun Bills into Law

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Virginia: Spanberger Signs Unconstitutional Gun Bills into Law

Today, April 23rd, Governor Spanberger Signed HB1525 and SB727/HB1524 into law. 

Illinois: Semi-Auto Glock Ban Eligible for Floor Vote

Friday, May 22, 2026

Illinois: Semi-Auto Glock Ban Eligible for Floor Vote

Yesterday, the House Gun Violence Prevention Committee passed HB 4471. The bill is now eligible for a floor vote.

Reading, Writing and Overreacting: Tiny Toy Leads to School “Weapon” Suspension

News  

Monday, May 18, 2026

Reading, Writing and Overreacting: Tiny Toy Leads to School “Weapon” Suspension

Parents and others have expressed concerns over a continuing decline in student literacy rates and math skills. At the same time, there’s a worrying erosion of common sense and critical thinking on the part of ...

New York Times Acknowledges Semi-Auto Rifles Aren’t Just Common, But “Ubiquitous”

News  

Monday, May 18, 2026

New York Times Acknowledges Semi-Auto Rifles Aren’t Just Common, But “Ubiquitous”

In the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), that acknowledged the Second Amendment protects the individual right to keep and bear arms, Justice Antonin Scalia noted some of the arms ...

Virginia: Spanberger Doubles Down on Semi-Auto Ban, NRA Doubles Down on Lawsuits

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Virginia: Spanberger Doubles Down on Semi-Auto Ban, NRA Doubles Down on Lawsuits

On the night of May 14th, Governor Spanberger once again proved she has no concern for the 2nd Amendment by signing SB749/HB217 - legislation that bans certain semi-automatic firearms, including many semi-automatic rifles, pistols and ...

Massachusetts Officials Embrace Gun Control, Avoid Crime Control, and Force Citizen Action

News  

Monday, May 18, 2026

Massachusetts Officials Embrace Gun Control, Avoid Crime Control, and Force Citizen Action

Massachusetts has among the most restrictive gun control laws in the country. The Bay State is one of an exceedingly small group of states, along with Illinois, to require a license to merely own any ...

New Jersey: Attorney General Sends Subpoenas to Statewide FFLs Seeking Customer Records

Saturday, May 16, 2026

New Jersey: Attorney General Sends Subpoenas to Statewide FFLs Seeking Customer Records

Last year, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against Glock, Inc. under the state’s public nuisance law. This week, in connection with that lawsuit, FFLs across the state started receiving subpoenas demanding ...

NRA Announces State Lawsuit Challenging Virginia’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Bans

Thursday, May 14, 2026

NRA Announces State Lawsuit Challenging Virginia’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Bans

Today, the National Rifle Association announced the filing of a state lawsuit challenging Virginia’s newly enacted bans on “assault firearms” and magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds.

Running Out of Targets: New York Bills Go After Air, Pellet and BB Guns

News  

Monday, April 20, 2026

Running Out of Targets: New York Bills Go After Air, Pellet and BB Guns

Anti-gun lawmakers in the Empire State are running out of things to ban.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.