Obama Turns Gaze On Gun Control Reforms: Survey Shows Slimming Support For Obama Line On Guns

Recent developments in the U.S. have helped president Barack Obama to revisit his unfinished agenda that includes gun control reforms. Among the land mark recent developments that buoyed Mr Obama are Supreme Court decisions on Obamacare and same-sex marriage. Then there was the nation-wide outrage over the Charleston church shootings on nine black parishioners in a South Carolina church, calling for curbs on guns.

Mr Obama’s efforts to re-emerge as a "full-throated progressive" with the message of hope and change that he oozed at the start of the 2008 presidential campaign is getting a new reinforcement with the president turning his gaze into new areas of reform, including gun control. "In the past 10 days, through the intervention of America’s top judges combined with public revulsion towards the murderous actions of a white supremacist, Obama has seen the national mood shift sharply in his direction," the Guardian noted. It said Obama’s signature healthcare reform, Obamacare, has been upheld and gay marriage got elevated into a constitutional right and the Confederate flag has been torn down across South.

Mr Obama’s speech at the Charleston homage ceremony, with a "call to action" on gun control and race -- the thorniest and most divisive problems of his presidency, found a positive acceptance. The aftermath of Charleston shootings gave the President the moral authority to pursue his reform plans on gun control. Bruce Buchanan, a specialist in presidential politics said, "It remains to be seen if he can use either as leverage to press his remaining policy ambitions."

Gun Control

Mr Obama in the past expended much of his political capital by meeting with failure in pursuing gun control reform, after the Connecticut, school shooting in 2012, in which 20 children and six adults were killed. Now the reinvigorated administration, charged up after the Supreme Court victories and broad support for his Charleston eulogy are exuding a bold confidence to act on it. Obama’s personal political listserv also sent out an email calling for supporters to "stand against gun violence," reported The Guardian.

Dwindling Support

Meanwhile, the CNN/ORC poll has found that only 42 percent people are approving the way Mr Obama is handling gun policy compared to 53 percent, not approving it. In the two polls in 2013, after the Sandy Hook killings, the president's approval on gun policy had reached 46 percent. The issue has serious racial undertones, with 61 percent whites disapproving of the president's gun policies and 79 percent of blacks approving it. That is why, many congressional and pro-gun sources are saying support for broad gun control and ban on new assault weapons ban are almost dead on Capitol Hill.

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)