2004 Obama voted against an exception to handgun ban for defense of one’s home

Back when Obama was in the Illinois legislature, a Chicago man shot an intruder to his home to protect himself and his home but was subsequently fined $750 for violating the handgun ban. Apparently most that this was absurd and the legislature crafted legislation to provide an exception to the handgun ban in order to defend one’s home.

Guess who voted against it?

WH DOSSIER – As a state senator in Illinois, President Obama opposed legislation providing an exception to handgun restrictions if the weapon was used in the defense of one’s home.

Obama’s vote would have maintained the status quo, which made it a violation of municipal gun ban law to use a firearm to save your own life in your own home. But the bill was passed anyway without his support.

The vote is a sign of how committed Obama may be to strict gun control measures.

The Illinois vote is hardly ancient history, having occurred in 2004 as Obama was running for election to the U.S. Senate. In opposing the measure, Obama lined up well to the left of the mainstream, as the Illinois Senate included 32 Democrats to 26 Republicans but approved the bill by an overwhelming margin and subsequently overrode a veto by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Obama did not participate in the veto override, which occurred in November 2004, likely after Obama had resigned his state Senate seat in order to prepare for his new role in the U.S. Senate.

Notice they had enough bipartisan support to override a veto from the governor, and yet Obama still found himself on the wrong side of the issue.

Of course we all remember how Obama answered a questionnaire in 1996 saying he supported the ability of the state to ban the manufacture, sell and possession of handguns. He denied it in 2008 but, according to WH DOSSIER they found that it was indeed his handwriting. It’s certainly consistent with this vote outlined above 8 years later.


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