Are Democrats the real obstacle to gun control?

If newly minted Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) is any indication, Obama may take some friendly fire in his push to curb gun violence

Vice President Joe Biden is leading a task force that will look at ways of reducing gun violence.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The White House is considering a broad range of measures to curb gun violence in the wake of the massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. — not just a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines — reports Philip Rucker at The Washington Post. President Obama's gun violence working group, led by Vice President Joe Biden, is also "seriously considering" proposing universal background checks for gun purchases, including at gun shows; tracking firearms sales through a national database; strengthening mental health checks; and increasing penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors.

Given its pugilistic response to the Sandy Hook tragedy, the National Rifle Association will undoubtedly oppose most if not all of these measures, as will its mainly GOP allies in Congress. But the Obama administration is brainstorming ways to work around the NRA, including getting Walmart and other major gun retailers on board. "This makes political sense," says Matt Lewis at The Daily Caller, who nonetheless disparages the idea as a "crony capitalism" route to gun control. "Businesses that sell guns would ostensibly benefit financially" from closing the "gun show loophole," for example. Still, regulating guns isn't a clear red-and-blue issue politically, and while Republicans are in fact lining up against any new gun control measures, it's not clear if the Obama team is prepared to tackle the more politically fraught opposition of fellow Democrats.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.