Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D, told me this morning on “This Week” that while all options should be on the table to address gun violence, President Obama’s reported plans to curb shootings are ”way in extreme” when I pressed her this morning on the kinds on measures she could potentially support.
“I think you need to put everything on the table, but what I hear from the administration – and if the Washington Post is to be believed – that’s way, way in extreme of what I think is necessary or even should be talked about. And it’s not going to pass,” said Heitkamp, a member of the National Rifle Association.
Heitkamp, who has an “A” rating from the NRA and was elected in a state that Gov. Mitt Romney won by nearly 20 points, stressed the importance of addressing mental health as part of the effort to curb violent shootings.
Yeah, “all options should be on the table” — except the options Obama’s looking at. You wonder if Sen. Heitkamp understands what the word “all” means.
And what are these horribly “extreme” ideas Pres. Obama is considering? According to the Washington Post, they are:
A working group led by Vice President Biden is seriously considering measures backed by key law enforcement leaders that would require universal background checks for firearm buyers, track the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, strengthen mental health checks, and stiffen penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors, the sources said.
This is all stuff that polls pretty well. If Obama’s extreme here, then so are most Americans. So guess who’s the actual extremist here, President Obama or Sen. Heitkamp? I’d say that an “A” rating from the NRA qualifies you as an extremist.
