With the recent Newtown shootings on the mind of America, could this be Obamas one opportunity to delve into the grey area of gun control in the US?

The second amendment to the United States Constitution, written in 1791 reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” In america, anyone over the age of 18 is allowed to buy a rifle or shotgun from a licensed dealer in any state with over-21s able to buy handguns too.
Although there has always been some fierce opposition to this age old law, with an increasing number of horrific shootings in America polluting the front pages of newspapers across the world, never has America been more willing to listen to them. Understandably gun law is a touchy subject in US politics, with many Americans regarding the right to own a dangerous weapon as a god given birthright, its going to take a huge amount of time and effort to secure any sort of change on the matter. Luckily time and effort is exactly what President Obama intends to give to his latest quest to exterminate the possibility of more mass shootings with his bold new gun control plan.
To call this plan idealistic would be an understatement. Obama proposes to ban automatic weapons, limit magazines to 10 bullets, introduce universal background checks for all firearms buyers and increase scrutiny of mental health patients. Despite sounding fairly straight forward, it is going to take a tremendous amount of work in order to get this legislation through; This is the first time since 1994 that a president has attempted to tackle gun violence - gun owning enthusiasts have always been supported by the supreme court and with bodies such as the National Rifle Association out fuming after Obama released his plan, gaining support will not be easy. This is mainly because America is fundamentally tricky. Weapons laws can vary dramatically from state to state and already county sheriffs have vowed to refuse to enforce any measures which they believe infringe their “constitutional rights”.
In addition, members of the NRA have already released a slanderous campaign against Obama’s plan. However I doubt that their recent TV advert, accusing Obama of being an “elitist hypocrite” who cares more about his own children than “yours”, will touch the hearts of a country who, after the recent Newtown massacre claimed the lives of 20 children and six teachers deserve change. However with 100 million Americans having guns at home, 47% of the adult population, I’m beginning to think that it may be near to impossible for this government to triumph, but, as the President remarked; “It won’t be easy, but we can’t accept this as a reason not to try.”