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
Trump Administration Continues to Deliver for Gun Owners with Recent Initiatives

News  

Monday, April 6, 2026

Trump Administration Continues to Deliver for Gun Owners with Recent Initiatives

Amid a steady stream of headlines highlighting anti-gun legislative proposals in the states, ongoing litigation battles, and regulatory uncertainty, there is also good news to report on the Second Amendment front, courtesy of the Trump ...

Anti-gun Chicago Mayor Spends Astronomical Amounts of Tax Dollars on Armed Security

News  

Monday, April 6, 2026

Anti-gun Chicago Mayor Spends Astronomical Amounts of Tax Dollars on Armed Security

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who was dragged for spending over $30,000 of his campaign funds on hair and makeup in a year, is now facing scrutiny over the optics and price tag of his personal security force.

Trump Administration Addresses Defensive Carry for Active-Duty Military Members

News  

Monday, April 6, 2026

Trump Administration Addresses Defensive Carry for Active-Duty Military Members

Just as we were finalizing another article this week on pro-gun initiatives by the Trump Administration, yet another example was announced. 

Rhode Island:  Gun Bans On Tap In Providence Next Week

Friday, April 3, 2026

Rhode Island: Gun Bans On Tap In Providence Next Week

On Wednesday April 8, the House Judiciary Committee will meet in the House Lounge at 4 p.m. to launch an historic attack on our Second Amendment rights. 

Social “Science” Replication Crisis Shows Danger Field Poses to Public Policy

News  

Monday, April 6, 2026

Social “Science” Replication Crisis Shows Danger Field Poses to Public Policy

Gun rights supporters know that civilian disarmament advocates have long employed dubious social “science”/public “health” research in their mission to strip Americans of their Second Amendment rights.

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Challenge to NFA Restrictions on Suppressors

Thursday, April 2, 2026

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Challenge to NFA Restrictions on Suppressors

The National Rifle Association joined the Second Amendment Foundation, American Suppressor Association, California Rifle & Pistol Association, Second Amendment Law Center, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and ...

Kentucky: Governor Beshear Vetoes Pro-Gun Bills - Urge Your Legislators to Override!

Friday, April 3, 2026

Kentucky: Governor Beshear Vetoes Pro-Gun Bills - Urge Your Legislators to Override!

On Thursday, April 2nd, Governor Andy Beshear vetoed two pro-gun bills, House Bill 78 and House Bill 312.

Ammunition Serialization: The Five-Cent Fiasco in Illinois

News  

Monday, March 30, 2026

Ammunition Serialization: The Five-Cent Fiasco in Illinois

Democrat officials in Illinois have long taken unabashed pride in the abridgement of Second Amendment rights, and their latest attempt at “bullet control” is again making headlines.

Virginia: Legislature Adjourns from 2026 Session; Anti-Gun Bills on Governor's Desk

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Virginia: Legislature Adjourns from 2026 Session; Anti-Gun Bills on Governor's Desk

On Saturday, March 14th, the Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die from the 2026 legislative session, and the future of the Commonwealth hangs in the balance. 

West Virginia: Governor Morrisey Signs Constitutional Carry Expansion Bill

Thursday, April 2, 2026

West Virginia: Governor Morrisey Signs Constitutional Carry Expansion Bill

On Wednesday, April 1st, Governor Patrick Morrisey signed House Bill 4106, expanding constitutional carry provisions to 18-20 year olds.

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.