Obama not losing touch, but gun advocates want you to think so.....

After the wonderful speech that President Obama gave yesterday in Denver, some of the more conservative news organizations pitched the idea that he was complaining about feeling "constrained" by the constitution. As is always the case with anyone who seems to express a viewpoint about gun control (control, not confiscation, not denial of access, etc), it was taken way out of context.

Here is what was said by the President:

One last thing I'm going to mention is that during this conversation -- I hope you don't mind me quoting you, Joe. Joe Garcia, I thought, also made an important point, and that is that the opponents of some of these common-sense laws have ginned up fears among responsible gun owners that have nothing to do with what's being proposed and nothing to do with the facts, but feeds into this suspicion about government.

You hear some of these quotes: "I need a gun to protect myself from the government." "We can't do background checks because the government is going to come take my guns away."

Well, the government is us. These officials are elected by you. (Applause.) They are elected by you. I am elected by you. I am constrained, as they are constrained, by a system that our Founders put in place. It's a government of and by and for the people.

And so, surely, we can have a debate that's not based on the notion somehow that your elected representatives are trying to do something to you other than potentially prevent another group of families from grieving the way the families of Aurora or Newtown or Columbine have grieved. We've got to get past some of the rhetoric that gets perpetuated that breaks down trust and is so over the top that it just shuts down all discussion. And it's important for all of us when we hear that kind of talk to say, hold on a second. If there are any folks who are out there right now who are gun owners, and you've been hearing that somehow somebody is taking away your guns, get the facts. We're not proposing a gun registration system, we're proposing background checks for criminals. (Applause.)

Don't just listen to what some advocates or folks who have an interest in this thing are saying. Look at the actual legislation. That's what happened here in Colorado. And hopefully, if we know the facts and we're listening to each other, then we can actually move forward.

The section in question is in paragraph 3, and the president is not deriding the fact that he is constrained, he is highlighting and applauding the fact that the constitution was set up to limit government powers. So, for those of you who think that this president is all about taking away your rights, be a little smarter. Educate yourself. Understand the issue. Recognize the fact that the states with the least amount of gun laws affecting access to guns are also some of the states with the highest death rates due to guns.

In Colorado, by the way, I can still have my gun if I want to, so no-one has taken away my right to bear arms. Be educated, don't be a sheep and follow the NRA one liners, become your own informed participant in the political process.