Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Obama's budget is a sneak attack on our Second Amendment freedoms

Friday, February 17, 2012

By Chris Cox, NRA-ILA Executive Director

Ever since taking office, President Barack Obama has tried desperately to convince gun owners and sportsmen that he supports the Second Amendment. But actions speak louder than words, and Obama’s latest budget proposal contains numerous sneak attacks aimed at the heart of our firearm freedoms.

For example, NRA members and gun owners fought hard for a law to ban government agencies like the Centers for Disease Control from using our tax dollars to produce blatant anti-gun propaganda. Obama wants to kill it in his budget.

We fought hard for a law to ban the Obama administration from spending our tax dollars on illegal schemes like Operation Fast and Furious, which funneled thousands of guns to violent Mexican drug cartels. Obama wants to kill it in his budget.

We fought hard to protect the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which allows armed, trained commercial airline pilots to serve as the last line of defense should terrorists breach the cockpit and attempt another 9/11-style attack. Obama wants to slash the funding for this potentially life-saving program in half.

Perhaps he doesn’t have the money to protect airline passengers because he spent it all sending guns to Mexico.

We fought hard for a law that prevents the Obama White House from spending our tax dollars to ban shotguns and to stop historic and collectible firearms from being imported into the United States. Obama wants to kill both of these in his budget.

Obama’s budgetary assault on our gun rights doesn’t stop there. For years gun owners have been buying and recycling our military’s spent brass as a way to keep the cost of firearm ownership down. Not anymore. If Obama gets his way with the budget, all of this brass will be melted at taxpayers’ expense.

You have to ask yourself: If Obama is so serious about protecting our gun rights, what’s so wrong with stopping government agencies from using our tax dollars to attack our Second Amendment rights?

With innocent lives being cut short on both the U.S. and Mexican side of our border, why would Obama go out of his way to reject a ban on funding for illegal operations like Fast and Furious?

The answer is simple. Everything Barack Obama says about protecting the Second Amendment is a bald-faced lie. He will use every weapon at his disposal — including our hard-earned tax dollars — in his mission to destroy our Second Amendment freedoms.

The Second Amendment is America’s first freedom, because it’s the one freedom that guarantees all of our precious liberties. Barack Obama’s values have never been, and will never be, compatible with this freedom. His latest budget proposal proves it.

Chris W. Cox is the Executive Director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and serves as the organization’s chief lobbyist.

This article first appeared in the Daily Caller: http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/17/obamas-budget-is-a-sneak-attack-on-our-second-amendment-freedoms/#ixzz1mzXPZgQJ

TRENDING NOW
U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.K. Moves to Legally De-suppress Suppressors

News  

Monday, July 14, 2025

U.K. Moves to Legally De-suppress Suppressors

On July 4th, President Donald Trump signed into law his “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which included a provision that eliminated the tax stamp fee of $200, but did not deregulate suppressors under the National Firearms ...

Baltimore Gets Serious on Crime Control, and the Results Speak for Themselves

News  

Monday, July 14, 2025

Baltimore Gets Serious on Crime Control, and the Results Speak for Themselves

As the mid-year mark of 2025 hits, a promising report on crime trends has come out of the City of Baltimore. Surprising news at first glance until you dig deeper into the policy direction the ...

House Annual Appropriations Process Update

News  

Monday, July 14, 2025

House Annual Appropriations Process Update

As the House Appropriations Committee is putting together legislation to fund the government, NRA-ILA has worked closely with policy makers to ensure several long-standing priorities for gun owners were included in the underlying bills.

Legacy Media Finally Acknowledges Politization of Public Health

News  

Monday, July 14, 2025

Legacy Media Finally Acknowledges Politization of Public Health

It appears the editors of The Atlantic are finally willing to entertain an idea that has long been obvious to gun rights supporters.

NRA and 2A Allies Announce NFA Lawsuit

Monday, July 7, 2025

NRA and 2A Allies Announce NFA Lawsuit

Following the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—which eliminates the National Firearms Act of 1934’s (NFA) excise tax on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and AOWs—the National Rifle Association issued a joint statement along with the ...

Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

News  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, ...

NRA-ILA July 2025 Litigation Update

Thursday, July 10, 2025

NRA-ILA July 2025 Litigation Update

In the second quarter of 2025, the National Rifle Association filed two cert petitions in the U.S. Supreme Court and five amicus briefs, while continuing to litigate dozens of ongoing lawsuits across the country.

DOJ Declines to Seek Supreme Court Review of Decision Striking Down Federal Laws Prohibiting FFLs From Selling Handguns to 18-to-20-Year-Olds

Thursday, July 10, 2025

DOJ Declines to Seek Supreme Court Review of Decision Striking Down Federal Laws Prohibiting FFLs From Selling Handguns to 18-to-20-Year-Olds

In Reese v. ATF, the Fifth Circuit held that 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1)—which together forbid Federal Firearms Licensees from selling handguns to 18-to-20-year-olds—violate the Second Amendment.

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Monday, July 7, 2025

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed the Florida Budget for Fiscal Year 2025–2026, which includes a Second Amendment sales tax holiday from September 8 through December 31, 2025. The NRA is thankful for Governor DeSantis’ strong ...

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.