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| Obama and Romney evade gun control commitment at Hofstra debate | Obama and Romney evade gun control commitment at Hofstra debate |
| (21 days later) | |
| Neither presidential candidate were fully open during the debate when it came to the issue of guns, one of the most contentious and arguably least thoroughly debated subjects in American society. | Neither presidential candidate were fully open during the debate when it came to the issue of guns, one of the most contentious and arguably least thoroughly debated subjects in American society. |
| Asked what had happened to his promise, made during the 2008 presidential race, to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals, Barack Obama signaled that he was prepared to see "if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced". | Asked what had happened to his promise, made during the 2008 presidential race, to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals, Barack Obama signaled that he was prepared to see "if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced". |
| That was in tune with occasional comments from Obama administration officials in favour of renewing the Federal Assault Weapons Ban on the manufacture of semi-automatic weapons that was introduced by Bill Clinton in 1994 but allowed to lapse by George Bush 10 years later. | That was in tune with occasional comments from Obama administration officials in favour of renewing the Federal Assault Weapons Ban on the manufacture of semi-automatic weapons that was introduced by Bill Clinton in 1994 but allowed to lapse by George Bush 10 years later. |
| However, there has been no sign that the Obama administration is genuinely prepared to expend political capital on driving such a renewal of the ban through a Republican-controlled House of Representatives or to incur by doing so the wrath of the powerful gun-lobby and the National Rifle Association. | However, there has been no sign that the Obama administration is genuinely prepared to expend political capital on driving such a renewal of the ban through a Republican-controlled House of Representatives or to incur by doing so the wrath of the powerful gun-lobby and the National Rifle Association. |
| Josh Sugarmann, head of the gun control advocacy group the Violence Policy Center, pointed out that Obama could have made an impact on the number of AK-47s and other such semi-automatic rifles in the country by wielding powers he already possesses to ban the import of foreign weapons that do not pass a "sporting purposes test". | Josh Sugarmann, head of the gun control advocacy group the Violence Policy Center, pointed out that Obama could have made an impact on the number of AK-47s and other such semi-automatic rifles in the country by wielding powers he already possesses to ban the import of foreign weapons that do not pass a "sporting purposes test". |
| On Romney's part, he defended his opposition to any new gun controls by saying that there was already a ban in place for fully automatic weapons. That is not correct – it is possible for civilians to own such weapons if they are prepared to go through extended federal background checks including fingerprinting and pay a $200 tax. | On Romney's part, he defended his opposition to any new gun controls by saying that there was already a ban in place for fully automatic weapons. That is not correct – it is possible for civilians to own such weapons if they are prepared to go through extended federal background checks including fingerprinting and pay a $200 tax. |
| "To say that fully automatic weapons don't exist in civilian hands is inaccurate," Sugarmann said. | "To say that fully automatic weapons don't exist in civilian hands is inaccurate," Sugarmann said. |
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