Obama Characterized as ‘Friend’ of Gun Control

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WASHINGTON — Some Illinois gun control advocates recall Senator Obama as a “friend” who represented a “solid vote” in favor of increased restrictions on firearm sales, but they said he was never forced to vote on an all-out ban on handguns as a member of the state Senate.

Mr. Obama’s position on guns is drawing renewed scrutiny following Wednesday night’s Democratic debate, when the Illinois senator said he never favored a handgun ban, even though a 1996 questionnaire in his name indicated he did.

The candidate questionnaire was filed with a nonprofit group, Independent Voters of Illinois–Independent Precinct Organization, during Mr. Obama’s first run for the state Senate. It asked candidates if they “support state legislation to … ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns.” Mr. Obama’s typed response was “Yes.” His campaign later said a staffer filled out the form and unintentionally misrepresented Mr. Obama’s position.

“I have never favored an all-out ban on handguns,” Mr. Obama said when confronted with the questionnaire at the debate. He also denied that his handwriting was on the document, even though a copy of the form posted by Politico.com suggests otherwise.

Mr. Obama has sought to emphasize his support for the rights of gun owners in recent days, following the uproar over his comments at a San Francisco fundraiser that small-town Americans “cling” to guns and religion because they are “bitter” about economic woes. He announced the endorsement this week of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, a moderate gun rights organization, and at the debate he highlighted the “tradition of gun ownership that’s passed on from generation to generation.”

The Clinton campaign pressed the issue during a conference call yesterday, suggesting Mr. Obama’s claims about the questionnaire demanded further explanation. Aides to Mrs. Clinton have in the past used his answer on the handgun ban to highlight an issue on which his position far to the left of the mainstream could leave him vulnerable in a general election. As a state senator in Illinois, Mr. Obama was known as a staunch supporter of gun control proposals that came up during his tenure, advocates on both sides of the issue say. “He was somebody that we considered a friend,” the executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, Thomas Mannard, said. “We certainly considered him a solid vote on legislation we would have supported.”

Mr. Mannard said Mr. Obama received “A” ratings from gun control organizations, and he cited his support for a ban on assault weapons and for measures strengthening background check systems.

The executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, Richard Pearson, similarly described Mr. Obama as “a strong gun control person.”

“I have not known him to ever vote for a pro-gun bill,” Mr. Pearson said.

He also said he no recollection of Mr. Obama stating his view on a handgun ban, although Mr. Pearson said the senator drew the ire of gun owners when he voted with a minority of lawmakers in 2004 against a bill affirming a homeowner’s right to use a firearm in self-defense against an intruder. Despite Mr. Obama’s opposition, the Illinois Legislature overrode a veto by the governor to approve the bill.

A total ban on handguns was not something that generated significant discussion or support during Mr. Obama’s eight years in the Legislature. Mr. Mannard said it never came for a vote in the Senate, and the council did not take a position on the idea. “We would never have been pushing this kind of legislation,” he said.

With the increased clout of the National Rifle Association and its state affiliates in recent decades, gun control groups have largely turned to more narrowly defined and strategic measures rather than sweeping prohibitions, such as a handgun ban. “We haven’t pushed what I would call an extreme agenda,” a former Illinois field director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Jennifer Bishop, said. She said Mr. Obama was helpful to the group’s agenda, which she described as mostly “defensive” in trying to stop efforts by the gun lobby to restrict law enforcement and expand the rights of gun owners.

“I would not characterize him as this big anti-gunner. He’s not,” Ms. Bishop said.


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