The Commons at Paulie World

His words of support for the Second Amendment:

“I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposeing concealed carry.” Chicago Tribune 4/27/04.
I interpret this to mean he does not trust you or I to be responsible enough to carry a firearm. This means he sees us as criminals, which in turn means I don’t trust him. Trust is a two way street, one must give it to get it.

“There is an individual right to bear arms. But it is subject to commons sense regulation.”
Journal Sentinel Online 2/15/08.
What is commons sense regulation? We will see in a bit as we hear more of what he thinks about you have a firearm.

“I think it is a scandal that this president (Pres. Bush) did not authorize the renewal of the assault weapons ban.” Illinois Senate Debate #3 Barack Obama vs Alan Keyes 10/21/04
Yes why not authorize a renewal of a law that for all its hype did absolutely nothing? The total percentage of “assault weapons’ used is so small as to be non existent. Further they are not really assault weapons as an assault weapon is a fully automatic weapon. These were simply semi automatic look alike versions.

“I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturers’ lobby.” The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama 2006.
By the same token, this would disarm the people who need arms the most.

“I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country” (gun ownership and restrictions on guns) Politico 2/11/08.
Not really, it is a relatively new “tradition” when one talks of gun restrictions, read gun control, the Brady Bunch were started in the early ‘70’s, but were called Handgun Control Inc. at the time. Before that no one ever really thought about keeping law abiding citizens from owning a firearm for protection.

“I think that local jurisdictions have the capability to institute their own gun laws.”
This is all fine and dandy, but when does localities jurisdiction interfere with the Constitutional Rights of the citizens?

Now, let’s look at what he has done to support the Second Amendment.

On Self Defense - voted to allow the prosecution of people who use a firearm for self defense. Illinois Senate S.B. 2165, vote 20, 3/25/04

Ammunition Tax - supported increasing taxes on firearms and ammunition by 500 percent. Chicago Defender 12/31/99

Lawsuits - voted to allow reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt the firearms industry. United States Senate S. 397 vote 219 7/29/05

Clinton Gun Ban - wants to reimpose the fail and discredited Clinton Gun Ban. Illinois Senate Debate #3 Barack Obama vs. Alan keyes 10/12/04

Handgun Ban – endorsed a ban on ALL (emphasis added) handguns. Independent Voters of Illinois/Independent Precint Organization general candidate questionnaire 9/9/96, Politico 3/31/08

Right To Carry – opposes the Right to Carry Laws. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 4/20/08, Chicago tribune 9/15/04

Ammunition Tax – voted to ban almost all difle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting. United States Senate, S. 397 vote 217, 7/29/07

Gun Registration – supports gun owner licensing and gun registration. “Fact Check: No News In Obama’s Consistent Record” Obama website 12/11/07

Limits On Gun Purchases – voted to limit gun purchases to one per month. Illinois Senate, H.B. 2579, vote 34, 5/16/03.

While this is not a complete list, or even meat to be, it is however a preview or what one may expect for the Second Amendment under an Obama administration. I could go on, to comment on these votes, and what he has said, in more depth, but I think you get the point. I think if this man is elected we will be in for the most concerted attacks on our Second Amendment rights in the history of this country, and with a Congress, and Senate controlled by the likes of Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid he will have a free hand to do what he wants. If he has this much distain for our Second amendment rights how much will he have for our First Amendment rights? He has already expressed his intent to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, which is, contrary to what they may tell you, aimed at talk radio, specifically Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, et.al. Now, no matter what one thinks of these radio hosts, one has to wonder, why does the Senator want them silenced? I think with friends like Senator Obama the First, and Second Amendment doesn’t need enemies.

Here are a few quotes on freedom, and arms:

An unarmed man is a subject, a disarmed man is a slave, but an armed man is a citizen. The name of the person who said that escapes me at this time.

A Bill of Rights that means what the majority wants it to mean is worthless. — Justice Antonin Scalia

Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave. — Andrew Fletcher 1698

Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property . . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them. — Thomas Paine, Thoughts on Defensive War (1775).

Americans who value freedom had better be more concerned about the gun control crowd than the criminals. The criminals want your money. The Neo-Totalitarians want your freedom. — Charlie Reese

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Nor, are they likely to end up with either. — Benjamin Franklin

Both the oligarch and Tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of arms. — Aristotle

"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." --Col. Jeff Cooper

The Constitution is a written instrument. As such, its meaning does not alter. That which it meant when it was adopted, it means now. — SOUTH CAROLINA v. US, 199 U.S. 437, 448 (1905)

What it means to take rights seriously is that one will honor them even when there is significant social cost in doing so. —SANFORD LEVINSON

Men do not want freedom. They only long for a just master – Saltus(?)

A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie. — VLADIMIR ILYICH LENIN

To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them... — Richard Henry Lee

The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed. — Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers

That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. — GEORGE ORWELL

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending to much liberty than those attending too small a degree little. - Thomas Jefferson

There is no doubt in my mind that millions of lives could have been saved if the people had not been "brainwashed" about gun ownership and they had been well armed. Hitler's thugs and goons were not very brave when confronted by a gun. Gun haters always want to forget the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which is a perfect example of how a ragtag, half starved group of Jews took up 10 handguns and made asses out of the Nazi's. — Theodore Haas, former prisoner of the infamous Dachau prisoner concentration camp,
I think this one exposes the lie that the Brady Bunch likes to tell people about a firearm not being useful for self defense.

And my favorite:
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. ~~ H. L. Mencken