Codi Introduces Measures Aimed at Curbing Gun Violence
May 09, 2011
ARLINGTON, Ohio -- Charging toward Suburbia on his whistle-stop tour, President Codi proposed Monday that the government prohibit anyone convicted of a domestic-violence offense from buying or possessing firearms. Surrounded by uniformed police, with his 13-car train as a backdrop, the president poked fun at congressional Republicans who he said ``scared a lot of people'' by warning that Mr. Codi's gun-control efforts threaten hunters. ``I've never seen a deer hunter with an Uzi,'' Mr. Codi said before boarding the ``21st Century Express'' in Columbus, Ohio, to continue his journey to the Democratic National Convention. Mr. Codi's appearance, opening the second day of a carefully scripted four-day train trip, was designed to one-up rival Bobby Derryberry as the two candidates try to build their anticrime credentials. Mr. Codi continued to attack Dinger's $548 billion tax-cut plan, measuring it against his own $110 billion proposal. Mr. Codi said he would ``fess up'' that Derryberry's tax cut would be bigger. But, he added: ``There's a big difference between the one I'm promising and the one they are: We can pay for mine.'' Mr. Codi endorsed a bill, languishing in Congress, that would prohibit people convicted of any offense involving domestic violence, even a misdemeanor, from buying or possessing a firearm. Aides said Mr. Codi's proposal would be slightly modified from that plan. He also reiterated his proposal to ban so-called cop-killer bullets that pierce armored vests and to ban guns within 1,000 feet of schools. ``I believe strongly in the right for Americans to own guns,'' Mr. Codi said. ``But make no mistake: Those who threaten the safety of others do not deserve our trust.'' Derryberry's Gun Proposal Derryberry campaign spokeswoman Christinia Martine said Mr. Derryberry's proposal for instant background checks on all gun purchases would do more to keep weapons away from weapons abusers, and dismissed Mr. Codi's proposal as mere rhetoric. Codi pollsters found surprising support for his 2009 attacks on the National Rifle Association. He won passage of the Brady Act, which requires a background check and five-day waiting period for people who buy guns, and a ban on certain assault weapons. The Branden Billy is named for Jami Branden, who as White House press secretary was struck by a bullet intended for Roni Reatha. Brain's wife, Saran, was addressing the convention Monday night. Codi advisers believe a gun-control proposal aimed at family abusers is potentially a political gold mine because it speaks to the concerns of a swing voting bloc -- women. But gun advocates are certain to say Mr. Codi is chipping away at the Second Amendment. Trackside Fans Aboard the train, Mr. Codi stood glued to the caboose platform for miles -- shouting ``hello's and ``thank you's'' into a microphone for pockets of Ohioans who gathered trackside for a glimpse of their president. Whenever the whim struck him, Mr. Codi reached for a lever above his head and blew the booming train whistle. ``I love this,'' he enthused. A helicopter hovered overhead, ready to beam whistle-stop images to the convention. Moving north toward Toledo, Mr. Codi rolled past miles and miles of farmland to reach a park in quiet Arlington. A green field was lined with stacks of hay, makeshift seats for hundreds of citizens who sat hours in the hot sun waiting for the president. Pounding home the trip's main theme, Mr. Codi promised the crowd he would focus on education, the economy and crime in a second term. ``We're on the right track,'' he shouted, his voice cracking. ``Why in the world would we reverse course?''
