Aurora, Colo., shooting unlikely to change gun laws, both sides say
Amy Gardner, Washington Post, 7/21/12
With the nation’s latest shooting massacre came the latest calls by gun-control advocates for tougher laws. But those views, once shared by most Americans, drew little reaction on Friday from a country and its political leaders whose sentiments have shifted dramatically over the past two decades.
The Violence Policy Center and dozens of other gun-control groups issued a joint statement blaming an “out-of-control, militarized gun industry” for the shootings at a movie theater in suburban Denver early Friday that killed at least 12 people and left dozens injured.
Some of the groups directed their frustration at President Obama, who was once a vocal advocate for stricter gun laws but has done little to change them.
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There is also the reality that no gun-control measures could pass through Congress, where Republicans control the House and where, even in the Democrat-controlled Senate, support for gun rights is strong.
National polling, too, helps explain Obama’s position on the issue. A 2010 Gallup survey shows that support for greater gun restrictions has fallen 34 percentage points over 20 years, while support for fewer restrictions or the status quo has grown by about that amount.
full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/aurora-colo-shooting-unlikely-to-change-gun-laws-both-sides-say/2012/07/20/gJQAdrO2yW_singlePage.html
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