Half-Truth #2: Gun owners have 'nothing to fear'.

This is a big one.

Obama says:

President-elect Barack Obama said Sunday that lawful gun owners have "nothing to fear" from his incoming administration so there is no reason for Americans to stock up on guns.

Gun shops across the country have reported increased sales amid fears that Obama intends to restrict gun sales after taking office on January 20.

While Obama supports gun control, he has repeatedly denied any intention of "taking away folks' guns."

The right to bear arms is guaranteed in the second amendment of the US constitution and gun control is a hot-button political issue.

"I believe in common sense gun safety law, and I believe in the second amendment," Obama said at a press conference Sunday.

"And so, lawful gun owners have nothing to fear.

"I've said that throughout the campaign. I haven't indicated anything different during the transition, and I think that people can take me at my word."

Like most legal-types, Barack is a master of weaseling. The first things that need to be addressed are the huge straw men that he has created to deflect valid concerns over his administration: "gun grabbing" and "common sense".

Only a small few of the most extreme 2nd Amendment rights advocates (probably less than 100 people) think Barack is actually going to take away anyone's guns. Even though he supported it while he was in the Illinois state legislature, it didn't pass. And it definitely won't pass on a federal level. As Barack said in his own words, he wouldn't have the votes in congress. Straw man #1 is now burned.

Straw man #2: "Common sense". This is the new weasel word of the anti-rights movement. To them, "common sense" is essentially anything they want, regardless of how "nonsense" it actually is. A good example is a ban on "assault weapons". Even though these weapons are responsible for less than 3% of gun related homicides and won't, much to their chagrin, be found on foreign battlefields, they still support the "nonsense" position of banning the most popular sporting rifles in the country. Not that the 2nd Amendment is for sports anyway...

So with those two straw men thoroughly burned, do gun owners have anything to fear? Fear is the wrong word for it. I think a better a better word is "concerned". Gun owners are concerned about whether or not their elected officials will see Barack's straw men for what they are. They are concerned about whether Barack is going to ban the most popular sporting rifles in the country. They are concerned about whether Barack is going to ban standard capacity magazines for handguns and rifles. They are concerned about whether they will ever be able to buy or sell a privately owned firearm.

Basically, they are concerned about the very things Barack has indicated he's going to do. They are literally taking him at his word and that is why people are "stocking up". They are getting what they want, while they can still get it.