The Hill: Despite promises, Obama, Dem Congress Have Been Gun-friendly

I'm not sure the Hill's title in this story is entirely correct. There are a large number of pro-gun Democrats in Congress so I don't know that they made any promises to enact more gun control in 2008. On the other hand, Barack Obama most certainly lead the anti-rights crowd to believe he would be a friend to their cause. The problem? Obama can read the tea leaves and he knows trying to spend political capital on gun control is a loser. The pro-gun forces have also been smart in attaching progun legislation to bills that a)passed by large margins and b)were attached to bills that Obama wanted to sign.

This statement by a representative of Gun Owners of America probably has more to do with the reality than Obama being "gun-friendly."

“The old school liberals in charge of Congress were put in power on the backs of newly elected conservative Democrats,” Velleco said. “Democratic leaders have a balancing act.”

While it is true that there have been no bills passed infringing on the rights of gun owners, Obama has a nasty habit of doing things by executive fiat or through agency regulations. That more than anything else at the time is what gun owners need to continue to be vigilant in preventing.